When designing a fire strategy for a tall building, consideration of the effects of rising smoke on the upper levels, the need to protect staircases from fire and smoke in order to evacuate quickly and safely, and increased evacuation times due to high occupancies dependent on limited stair cores, is absolutely critical.

Our approach is to combine an emphasis on safety and addressing the very stringent building regulations applied to tall buildings with a clear focus on maintaining the architect’s aesthetic vision for the scheme. We also understand the challenges of tackling a fire in tall buildings where issues such as ensuring adequate water supplies, identifying fire locations and formalising access arrangements, are all factored in. The result is fire strategies that, thanks to a creative approach to smoke venting and reluctance to over-specify, offer both high levels of safety and maximised build value.