Fire Stop Solutions

After 18-months, a team of 50-fire stoppers and numerous complex design challenges, progress at arguably one of the largest fire-stopping projects in the South-West and Wales is entering the penultimate phase of the fire stopping installation process.

The Grange University Hospital (SCCC) in Llanfrechfa, Wales is the new £350 million-pound Specialist Critical Care Centre serving the South East Wales area.

Hospitals can be complex projects, just the sheer scale and quantity of services running through multiple corridors and rooms. To give you an idea of the scale and complexity of fire stopping works, a typical large hospital could have between 20,000 to 40,000 firestops, sometimes up to 100,000 combined firestop and acoustic seals, the Grange University Hospital is likely to exceed this!

Just the sheer scale of works coupled with so many factors to consider i.e. fire rating required, the different types of services passing through, the size and location of the penetration seal and of course difficult access, combine to make the most challenging of projects.

Optimum Fire Stopping Manager – Chris Fitzpatrick commented: “the numbers we have dealt with on this project are staggering with literally tens of thousands of penetrations. Identifying viable tested solutions is critical, as each penetration is different from the last”

Working in collaboration with the main contractor, Optimum has worked through a multiple-stage sign-off process, involving meticulous checks and detailed recordings throughout the project, before handing over to Optimum Drywall Systems who are installing secondary suspended ceilings throughout the site.

Chris Fitzpatrick further commented “key to this project has been to ensure a detailed and consistent channel of communication between engineers, main contractor client and suppliers ROCKWOOL, Hilti and Siderise.

The Grange University Hospital (SCCC) in Llanfrechfa, Wales is under construction by Laing O’Rourke.

All fire-stoppers are FIRAS and NVQ accredited.

Optimum is a Specialist Fire-Stopping and Passive Fire Protection Contractor.