Sprinkler strategy and building use
A multi-storey industrial building in Barking has been cited by the Business Sprinkler Alliance (BSA) as an example of how a compliant fire strategy can still restrict building use.
Tom Roche, Secretary of the Business Sprinkler Alliance, said the development was designed as a multi-storey industrial and warehousing scheme and described as a pioneer project, yet most of it remained empty two years after completion.
The building was presented as flexible workspace with tall ceilings, roller shutters and vehicle access to upper levels.
Only a small fraction of the available space has been let. The issue was linked to the fire strategy.
The sprinkler system was designed for industrial use rather than storage use.
Flammable materials can therefore only be stored to a height of around 1.2 metres.
In units capable of accommodating storage at much greater height, that restriction limited the range of occupiers the space could support.
Barking and Dagenham Council described the sprinkler system as having been “value engineered” to “balance cost, compliance and anticipated use”.
The system complied with fire safety regulations, went beyond the guidance in fitting the sprinklers and passed the required checks before sign-off.
Business Sprinkler Alliance sets out wider concern
Roche said the case showed how fire engineering strategies can shape what can be stored, how space is used and whether a building remains commercially viable.
He wrote that fire engineering strategies are often agreed early and then rarely revisited.
He also said further value engineering can alter the long-term use of a building even when a strategy is later updated.
In this case, the property is reported to need an additional £2.2 million to allow it to be used in the way intended.
Roche also referred to other examples including schools with atria that cannot hold events and large warehouses with clear heights that cannot be protected with ceiling-only automatic sprinklers.
He said: “A building that cannot be let because its fire strategy restricts its use is not a success.
“A development that requires millions of pounds of remedial work shortly after completion is not a success.
“A scheme that looks right, feels right, but functions incorrectly has failed at a fundamental level.”
He added: “If a building looks like a warehouse, is marketed as a warehouse and is priced as a warehouse, then it should be able to operate as one.”
The Business Sprinkler Alliance said it would continue to argue for fire safety approaches that place protection, resilience and continuity alongside life safety.
Barking project prompts sprinkler warning from Business Sprinkler Alliance
Iain Hoey
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Sprinkler strategy and building use
A multi-storey industrial building in Barking has been cited by the Business Sprinkler Alliance (BSA) as an example of how a compliant fire strategy can still restrict building use.
Tom Roche, Secretary of the Business Sprinkler Alliance, said the development was designed as a multi-storey industrial and warehousing scheme and described as a pioneer project, yet most of it remained empty two years after completion.
The building was presented as flexible workspace with tall ceilings, roller shutters and vehicle access to upper levels.
Only a small fraction of the available space has been let. The issue was linked to the fire strategy.
The sprinkler system was designed for industrial use rather than storage use.
Flammable materials can therefore only be stored to a height of around 1.2 metres.
In units capable of accommodating storage at much greater height, that restriction limited the range of occupiers the space could support.
Barking and Dagenham Council described the sprinkler system as having been “value engineered” to “balance cost, compliance and anticipated use”.
The system complied with fire safety regulations, went beyond the guidance in fitting the sprinklers and passed the required checks before sign-off.
Business Sprinkler Alliance sets out wider concern
Roche said the case showed how fire engineering strategies can shape what can be stored, how space is used and whether a building remains commercially viable.
He wrote that fire engineering strategies are often agreed early and then rarely revisited.
He also said further value engineering can alter the long-term use of a building even when a strategy is later updated.
In this case, the property is reported to need an additional £2.2 million to allow it to be used in the way intended.
Roche also referred to other examples including schools with atria that cannot hold events and large warehouses with clear heights that cannot be protected with ceiling-only automatic sprinklers.
He said: “A building that cannot be let because its fire strategy restricts its use is not a success.
“A development that requires millions of pounds of remedial work shortly after completion is not a success.
“A scheme that looks right, feels right, but functions incorrectly has failed at a fundamental level.”
He added: “If a building looks like a warehouse, is marketed as a warehouse and is priced as a warehouse, then it should be able to operate as one.”
The Business Sprinkler Alliance said it would continue to argue for fire safety approaches that place protection, resilience and continuity alongside life safety.
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