Fire safety compliance rapidly and cost-effectively
- A two-phase refurbishment was planned for Vertu Motors’ Mercedes Benz dealership in Slough.
- Phase one of the refurbishment covered the customer area, phase two the showroom itself.
- Commercial Fire Protection was commissioned to provide suitable fire-stopping
solutions, working alongside many other trades. - Our construction knowledge helped us deliver cost-effectively and reinstate full compliance.
- We completed the work within two weeks of receiving the order, and well within the agreed handover date.
THE END-CLIENT
The Vertu Motors Group was established in 2006 and also trades under the names Bristol Street Motors and Macklin Motors. Its dealerships represent many of the world’s leading automotive brands, including Audi, BMW, Honda, Jaguar, Jeep, Kia, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz, Mercedes-AMG, MINI, smart, Toyota and Volkswagen, and are established nationwide.
THE CHALLENGE
When Vertu Motors’ Mercedes Benz of Slough dealership decided to refurbish both its customer area and its showroom, quality, style, and workmanship were of course key considerations to reflect the cachet of this prestigious auto brand.
But an even more urgent consideration was ensuring continued fire safety compliance, as even minor modifications made to commercial buildings as part of refurbishment or upgrade projects can breach the passive fire protection (PFP) measures built into the fabric of the building in its walls, ceilings, and other structures.
This is where fire-stopping work becomes necessary, to fix or reverse the breaches and restore the PFP’s fire-resistant qualities. Without this, the refurbished premises cannot be certified fire safety-compliant – a legal requirement.
The work raised several challenges that, with our many years’ construction and refurbishment industry experience, we were very familiar with.
With many different trades working on site on different aspects of the refurbishment, for example, we had to co-ordinate activities flexibly and execute considerately and safely in the midst of complex and overlapping workflows. Our CHAS, SafeContractor, and Constructionline Health and Safety accreditations stood us in good stead on this front.
The current global supply chain squeeze and its effect on building materials also meant schedules and milestones sometimes had to shift at short notice, as work phases had not necessarily been completed at the time fire-stopping measures were planned to be applied to them.
The time scale of the project, too, was challenging – less than two weeks from commission to completion – in order to minimise the period both the customer area and the showroom had to stay closed to the public.
On a more technical level, penetrations in walls, ceilings, and other structures (to enable cables and piping to pass through, for example), sometimes – and for legitimate reasons – did not reflect the original plans in terms of size or position.
This meant they could not be assumed to require the particular type of fire-stopping solution originally envisaged as compliant for that specific application environment, and so had to be reassessed.
THE SOLUTION
We were commissioned to provide fire-stopping solutions on the basis of the premises’ existing fire strategy, so full understanding of that strategy was critical to the success of the project.
Both in advance of the work and during it, we liaised closely with the client and the project managers to plan and resource an effective, compliant, and cost-effective fire-stopping programme around this strategy.
On-site, we met with the project manager several times daily to flex the schedule here necessary, accommodate changes, and make whatever adjustments were necessary to protect the deadline.
In terms of the fire-stopping solutions themselves, we used a tested system for each penetration or fire-stopping requirement. Crucially, for each instance of fire-stopping material installed, we ensured the choice of materials used would ensure compliance for that specific application.
Finally, as a third-party fire safety certification provider, we legally certified and labelled the work as compliant.
OUTCOMES & RESULTS
By working with the right experience and expertise on hand and on site, and by thoroughly understanding the demands of the project thanks to our own refurbishment industry experience, we delivered a timely and economical fire-stopping solution to reinstate full PFP compliance to Mercedes Benz of Slough, post-refurbishment.
We also completed the work within schedule and budget, less than two weeks after receiving the order.
In a logistically and technically complex environment, we prioritised liaison, cooperation, and negotiation tomanage the seamless delivery of vital compliance outcomes, whilst enabling other trades to perform their roles effectively too.
In a logistically and technically complex environment, we prioritised liaison, cooperation, and negotiation to manage the seamless delivery of vital compliance outcomes, whilst enabling other trades to perform their roles effectively too.
For more information on how CFP can help your refurbishment or refit project – or the building or premises for which you are responsible – achieve the PFP compliance the law requires, get in touch on:
T: 0800 059 0113 E: hello@commercialfireprotection.co.uk
