- Client
- Swindon Borough Council
- Site
- High rise blocks across the Swindon area
- Scope
- Remediation and replacement of fire doors and fire stopping
Summary of the project
This project involved residential and communal fire door remediation, compartmentation and associated works in several high-rise residential tower blocks of social housing. The project took place across the summer and autumn of 2024.
Following the success of this initial project, we continue to deliver high quality works for Swindon Borough Council through their 7-year passive fire protection framework.
Success at a glance
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All new fire doors were successfully delivered within 6 weeks of ordering
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We achieved a final defect rate of <5% across the works
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Over 95% of resident issues raised were responded to within 48 hours
How we delivered it
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Phase 01
Pre-start phase
The pre-start meeting with the contract administrator and various key stakeholders established timeframes, set expectations and allowed the creation of transparent KPIs. Additionally, the meeting allowed us to understand and plan for the needs of high-need residents within certain blocks.
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Pilot scheme
To build client confidence, we performed a pilot installation of 12 “test doors” into properties during the pre-start phase. This allowed our team to gain experience with the environment and test the “settling” of the fire doors. This experience informed our product selection and installation practices, minimising the number of adjustment visits required later.
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Phase 02
Installation phase
Recognising the challenges of occupied properties, we prioritised each door installation based on risk of access loss, giving occupied properties (and particularly those with vulnerable residents) higher priority, and communal doors lower priority. This ensured that, if a property became unexpectedly unavailable, our team could ‘fall back’ to communal doors which were accessible, minimising wasted time on site.
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Phase 03
Handover phase
Our comprehensive handover included all installation records required for the Golden Thread, ensuring our work was compliant with all regulatory requirements. Additionally, we provided Swindon Borough Council with consultancy services, facilitating their successful BSR Gateway submissions.
Lessons learned
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Existing buildings require creative problem-solving
We encountered many non-standard elements within these buildings, including pipes passing diagonally through compartmentation fire stopping. To resolve this, we engaged with our fire stopping supplier, Quelfire, to design a bespoke solution, which was then installed by our expert team.
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Site-specific programming is essential to reduce disruption
Due to the continual occupation of the buildings, we had to develop programmes that allowed a constant route of access/egress through each building. Our solution involved area-by-area scheduling, working through each floor in entirety before moving on. This minimised disruption as well as ensured that Health & Safety and compliance inspections could take place on a rolling basis.
