According to James Broadest, ADB changes could see high rise sprinkler retrofits mandated as part of government building safety strategy
FIRE SAFETY was thrown into the spotlight after the tragedy of the Grenfell Tower fire with demands for improvements in alarm systems and the proposal to ban the use of combustible materials (such as cladding) on external walls. In addition, there have been repeated calls for sprinklers to be retrofitted in high rise blocks, which finally appear to be gaining traction.
As a direct response to the tragedy, the government established the Building Safety Programme to make sure ‘buildings are safe – and people feel safe – now, and in the future’. Further to this, in October 2018, the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) announced the release of funding to remediate high rise social sector residential buildings which are clad in aluminium composite material (ACM) that is unlikely to
meet building regulations.
Along with the Home Office, MHCLG identified more than 400 high rise buildings with unsafe ACM cladding, and worked with local authorities and fire and rescue authorities to ensure that appropriate interim safety measures were put in place. The government later banned combustible materials in the external walls of high rise residential buildings of 18m and over through the Building (Amendment) Regulations 2018.
These regulations came into force on 21 December 2018, with a two month transitional period. Furthermore, the government placed a ban on combustible materials on new high rise homes and committed to reviewing the effectiveness of the ban after one year.
A high price
Unfortunately, this did not cover privately owned high rise properties, and homeowners were being asked to make huge payments to enable work to be carried out to investigate and remedy perceived fire safety issues.?This has had huge, detrimental repercussions, with some homeowners facing increased insurance or mortgage premiums.
Surveyors and mortgage lenders also required building owners to demonstrate that cladding meets Advice Note 14’s criteria – in addition to new requirements to complete external wall survey (EWS1) forms, to address what assessment has been carried out for the external wall construction of residential apartment buildings. If owners cannot demonstrate this, the properties are valued at well below their true value or even zero, leaving some in the unfortunate position of being unable to sell their property, with lenders unwilling to provide mortgages on properties deemed worthless.
In May 2019, around £200m was made available to remove and replace unsafe ACM cladding from privately owned high rise buildings, with the government committing to fund the remediation of such residential buildings and to speed up vital cladding replacement. This was followed in March 2020 by a government announcement that it would be injecting a further £1bn during 2020 and 2021 to support the remediation of unsafe non ACM cladding systems for both private and social housing – plus an extra £3.5bn this year.
Removal rates
The positive results of this could be seen – and continue to be seen – in statistics from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government’s (MHCLG’s) Building Safety Programme: Monthly Data Release. As of 31 August 20201, remediation works to remove and replace unsafe ACM cladding systems had either completed or started on 341 (74%) of all identified high rise residential and publicly owned buildings in England. In total, 50% of all identified buildings (231) no longer had ACM cladding, 167 (36%) of which had fully completed remediation. Of those with ACM remaining, a further 110 had started remediation and 89 had a remediation plan.
A total of 94% (146) of social sector buildings had either completed or started remediation, while 74% of 155 had had ACM removed, with 83 (54%) having completed remediation. Of private sector buildings, 58% (121) had either completed or started remediation and of these, 56 had had ACM removed.
However, despite these and later figures, the funding is still not enough. According to a report by the BBC2, many leaseholders are trapped in unsafe buildings, some struggling with costs for 24 hour fire wardens and faced with threats from Building Safety Minister Lord Greenhalgh suggesting that they will have to pay towards the cost of replacing it themselves. Whilst the removal of cladding is a positive step, more needs to be done in terms of fire safety in high rise buildings – and sooner rather than later.
On the horizon
Thankfully, the implementation date for changes to Approved Document B (ADB) was set from 26 November 2020. The publication sets out proposals in relation to four issues including trigger height options, design
for sprinkler provision, wayfinding signage for fire and rescue services, and evacuation alert systems.
Government intention is to reduce the trigger height to 18m on new high rise apartment buildings; a reduction consistent with the ban on combustible materials on external walls and the proposed scope of the building safety regime. However, the consultation does not cover the retrofitting of sprinklers in existing buildings, despite outcry from the National Fire Chiefs Council, the Fire Brigades Union, the Association of British Insurers, the Fire Protection Association and the Fire Sector Federation.
A decision was made not to retrofit sprinklers or other fire suppression systems during the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, but this should have been a lesson to avoid reliance on passive fire safety. There should be an emphasis on the retrofitting of sprinklers in existing high rise buildings to help reduce concerns, remediation costs and the risk rating of poor compartmentation, as well as increase property value.
Importantly, installing sprinklers in these high rise buildings will result in saving lives. Sprinklers automatically detect fires, suppress fire and raise alarms. Sprinkler systems control or extinguish fires in 99% of cases and in the UK noone has ever died in a fire within a building fitted with properly serviced, maintained and working sprinklers.
The UK trails behind many countries which take an active approach to fire safety and which have buildings designed to detect and extinguish fire. A BBC Breakfast investigation3 that focused on half of the council and housing association owned tower blocks in the UK found that only 2% of them have full sprinkler systems.
It is essential for the government to revise its approach to fire safety in tower blocks and consider adopting active measures such as sprinklers, rather than relying on passive fire safety and compartmentation, such as the use of fire resistant walls and floors, to stop the spread of a fire.
Successful retrofits
Croydon Council took a positive decision to retrofit sprinklers in its 25 high rise blocks without waiting on help from the government. In 2018, it completed work to retrospectively fit sprinklers in the first of 26 of its tower blocks, supported by London Fire Brigade (LFB). Croydon was the first council to announce that it would retrofit sprinklers in its high rise blocks, approving a £10m programme in its 25 tallest blocks of ten to 12 storeys, as well as in an eight storey sheltered block.
LFB borough commander for Croydon, Kevin McKenzie, visited the first building to have sprinklers installed – College Green – during testing and stated: ‘Sprinklers play a significant role as part of an appropriate package of fire safety measures in reducing the impact of fire on people, property and the environment, therefore we welcome this because it gives residents reassurance. [LFB] has long been campaigning about the benefits of sprinklers, which save lives and property and also improve firefighter safety.
‘Croydon Council proves it’s possible to retrofit sprinklers, and more boroughs and housing owners should follow its lead to protect their most vulnerable residents, including those with mobility issues.’
An increase in retrofit projects, bringing sprinklers to existing high risk buildings, is proving that with good planning and communication by all involved, the process need not be challenging or expensive. We expect to see the number of projects continue to rise.
Issues and solutions
Fitting sprinkler systems at ‘live’ sites can be challenging, due to the fact that properties are occupied and the equipment needs to be fitted around existing structures, layouts and materials.
Wherever possible, it is important to reduce the impact of installing new systems by using existing systems. In cases where this is not possible, it is advisable to use existing risers and cableways, boosted water supplies as opposed to installing new tanks and pumps, and the latest technology, to minimise building works.
Another issue that comes with retrofitting sprinklers is that pipework has to be mounted onto ceilings and walls, rather than being fitted in cavity spaces as in a new build. The aesthetics of this can result in resistance from homeowners and landlords. In some cases, small bulkheads can be installed in order to create pipe and cable routes, which in turn will reduce the need for destructive and unsightly building works.
It is also possible to recess sprinkler heads and detection points, while sounders can be concealed behind other features such as shadow gaps or behind vents, avoiding the need for smoke detectors or alerting devices to be on display. Ensuring the sprinkler system is unobtrusive and aesthetically pleasing can alleviate any resistance.
The changes to ADB will be a welcome change to current practices and hopefully they will encourage the government to consider the retrofitting of sprinklers into existing buildings as part of its fire safety strategy going forward. As an industry, we recognise the value of sprinkler systems, and being able to demonstrate and educate government bodies and building owners to act on this will not only see significant cost savings, but also improve the quality of lives. Indeed, in the case of a fire, lives will be saved
James Broadest is a director at Integrated Fire Safety Systems.
References
- Building Safety Programme: Monthly Data Release – Data as of 30 September 2020, MHCLG, https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/926734/Building_Safety_Data_Release_September_2020.pdf
- ‘Cost of removing cladding is ripping our lives apart’, BBC News, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/business-54624159
- ‘Grenfell fire chief calls for sprinklers in tower blocks’, BBC News, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-41148672