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Sprinklers for schools in Kent

Energy Performance Certificates

Sprinklers for schools in Kent

It is estimated that approximately £100 million is lost to school fires every year in the United Kingdom with the majority of high loss fires caused by arson. The impact on a community is always difficult to measure. Evidence suggests a major fire in a school can have significant impact on the local community which increases with the communities’ use of the school. There is also a major impact on the students, especially if there is a potential for lost coursework. Nationally all the indicators are that arson in schools is on the increase and is rapidly becoming a major issue. Thankfully this is not a particular problem in Kent but we can’t afford to be complacent.

Kent Fire & Rescue Authority has a clear policy to support the fitting of sprinklers in schools.

In the early part of 2006 Kent Fire and Rescue Service were contacted by a representative from Butler and Young (Approved Inspectors) who informed us of a plan to build six schools in the Kent area.

To maintain a consistent approach to all the schools and give Butler & Young just one point of contact, a dedicated Fire Safety Officer from Maidstone Fire Safety Office Peter Hedges was allocated to consult and assist with the projects,

even though the schools were widely spread across the county. The project, to construct six school buildings, as a PFI funded enhancement to the KCC schools already in place.

With KFRS wanting to support sprinklers being fitted in all schools, the earliest opportunity was taken to raise the issue. Butler and Young were able to inform us that it was their client’s intention to install sprinkler systems. The company (Lorne Stewart PLC) identified a system meeting BS 5306 part 2 OH group 1 as the most suitable.

The schools also had the benefit of a BS 5839 Part 1 Category L2 fire alarm system. This means smoke detection in all occupied spaces which is above the normal standard for schools. The sprinkler system coupled with the fire alarm system is a good combination to achieve early warning when the schools are occupied and property protection when the schools are not occupied. This reduced the chance of a heavy loss from an arson attack or accidental fire.

Butler and Young (Approved Inspectors) and Kent Fire and Rescue Service were involved from a very early stage giving the architects advice to over come problems in the design, especially concerning fire safety measures. A "one stop shop" approach was agreed to give continuity of interpretation which gave confidence in design procedure, and speeded up the consultation process. Peter Hedges met with Butler and Young on a number of occasions to discuss areas of the design, the consultation process was completed on all six schools with sprinkler design being checked for adequacy.

The additional costs of providing such a fire alarm system and sprinkler system have been off set by minor deviations from the Approved Document B. The cost of the sprinkler system worked out to be less than 2% of the total build cost at approximately £29 per square metre. When measured against the potential loss of a school, and the disruption caused, it was seen to be very good value for money by Kent County Council and the PFI Company.

Although there is no legal obligation to protect our schools from fire by using sprinkler systems, KFRS believe that it would be a great legacy to leave a higher number of fire safe schools to our future generations.

This is a good example of all the interested parties discussing and consulting to achieve a common goal. The schools are safe and well built, with a modern specification which should enable them to serve their communities for the next fifty to one hundred years with out loss of life, or major damage to a school building.

We now advise all inspecting officers to consider the installation of a sprinkler system on every contact we have with schools. This may include Building Regulations consultations or even advice on the phone.

Three of the schools are now occupied and the other three will be on line in the early part of this year.

The schools were:

Holmesdale Technical College Snodland
North School Ashford
Ellington School Ramsgate
Hugh Christie Technical College Tonbridge
Aylesford School Aylesford
Malling School East Malling

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Custodial Fire Safety Design

Design Issues

Custodial Properties pose the designer with a tremendous challenge in order to ensure adequate fire safety arrangements are provided due to the nature of their use. The designer must ensure that the management of the fire strategy is not only achievable but can be sustained over time.

The number of accidental fires within buildings used for custody purposes is considered to be low. This has much to do with the nature of the design and the high level of fire safety management. However, the number of fires caused deliberately is considered to be high.

Some of the reasons offenders deliberately start fires are to cause disruption; to seek attention; to cause self-harm; or as part of a diversionary tactic.

The design philosophy for Custodial Properties has to take into account the unique situation with respect to offenders. In Custodial Properties, unlike other building types, these occupants cannot automatically evacuate when an alarm is raised. It should be noted that the main objective of legislation is that of ‘life safety’ and it applies equally to Custodial Property. The potential risk to life increases where offenders are locked in their cells unless effective detection and management procedures are introduced.

The safety of all occupants in Custodial Properties is of paramount importance and although the risk to life from fire cannot be under-estimated, the risk to life from suicide and other custodial issues is significantly higher. Hence, any fire precautionary measures introduced must also be considered in terms of security and with due consideration for the provision of possible ligature points or use as weapons.

The effects on security must also be considered with the evacuation of offenders, and as the custodial population emanates from all walks of life it may also be unwise for certain offenders to mix.

Trenton Consultants Fire Engineering Section were engaged by the National Offender Management Service to write the ‘Fire Safety Design Guide for Home Office Custodial Property’ to provide guidance on achieving high fire safety standards for staff, visitors, contractors and offenders.

Cellblock Design

Each cell should be designed to ensure that the likelihood of a fire spreading beyond the cell is remote. A fire within a cell creates an immediate danger for the cell occupant. The principal danger to offenders and staff within the cellblock or wing is from the smoke produced, unless the smoke is either contained or adequate ventilation provided within the evacuation route.

Consideration should be given to the type of furniture, furnishings and textiles as inappropriate types can spread fire rapidly and produce large volumes of toxic smoke. It is also important that the hazards and risks are assessed and the number of ignition sources within a cellblock be kept to a minimum. It is recognized that this may be difficult to achieve as a good proportion of offenders smoke and therefore have access to a ready ignition source.

Hose reels are normally provided for inundating cells with water, via an inundation point in the cell door immediately prior to removing the offender. The designer may consider the use of an alternative suppression media such as conventional sprinklers or a water mist system, but with due consideration of possible ligature points.

The design criterion for cellblocks is to: -

Minimise ignition sources
Limit fire growth
Restrict fire spread in order to reduce the likelihood of partial or total evacuation of the wing or building including individual cells
Provide a method of fire intervention
Ensure sufficient time is available for the managed evacuation of cells
Ensure that fire is detected at an early stage
Ensure that an agreed managed evacuation of the cellblock is in place
Provide facilities to assist the Fire & Rescue Service to deal with a fire situation

Fire Suppression

Fire suppression may have an important role within the fire strategy but it is for the designer to establish if active fire systems are required. The assessment should compare ‘available’ and ‘required’ evacuation times, considering issues such as the detection, fire growth, tenability and management procedures/resources. The Home Office are currently considering a policy for a fire suppression system to be provided in Custodial Properties as a matter of course. This would consider fully the additional implications of property protection and business continuity.

Fire Alarm & Detection

The early detection of fire is extremely important, as this will be the trigger for the evacuation procedure to commence. The Fire Safety Design Guide for Home Office Custodial Property recommends that an electrical fire alarm be provided incorporating an automatic fire detection system, unless the designer can clearly demonstrate that automatic fire detection is not required to be part of the alarm system/

Smoke Management System

The purpose of the smoke management system is to ensure that the evacuation routes associated with the cellblock, immediately outside the individual cells, remain tenable. The tenable time period should exceed the time required to manage the evacuation in the event of a fire allowing for a factor of safety.

The Fire Safety Design Guide for Home Office Custodial Property recommends that a design fire size of 1MW to 1.5MW convective heat flux may be used for a single cell with an area not exceeding 7m2 depending on the fire load. However, it is emphasised that the Fire Engineer should consider the worse credible case scenario and evaluate whether the fire size is appropriate in each case.

Open Hall Design

The central atrium with balcony approach to the cells provides the designer with an opportunity to install an engineered smoke ventilation system within the roof. The Fire Engineer may consider alternative methods such as mechanical, natural, pressurisation or depressurisation.

Corridor Design

The ceiling height will determine whether it is possible to maintain the smoke layer above head height in cellblock corridors using either natural or mechanical ventilation. One option is to provide a smoke dilution system. This can be achieved by the provision of natural ventilators or fans at either end of the corridor to provide an inlet and outlet. The disadvantages are that the fans may be obstructed; high wind velocities created; and can be extremely noisy which could be disconcerting to the custodians and/or offenders.

In the unlikely event that ventilation cannot be provided within an existing building, the corridor may be sub-divided by fire resisting doors and screens to create sub-compartments, thereby limiting the travel distance, restricting the number of cells immediately affected by the fire and limiting the number of offenders to be evacuated.

Evacuation Procedure

Due to some offender’s movements being restricted, simultaneous evacuation is not possible. In the event of a fire, trained custodians should be alerted to the outbreak of a fire and the fire brigade summoned. Due to the fire separation between cells it is extremely unlikely that the fire will spread. The fire strategy should consider the movement of smoke to ensure that the evacuation routes outside the cells remain tenable for sufficient time to provide fire intervention and for the custodians to assist with the evacuation.

The designer should also ensure that sufficient emergency lighting levels are provided for people to move safely to an exit and for Custodians to safely evacuate offenders, having due regard to their personal safety. It is considered that the minimum lighting levels will be in excess of those recommended in BS 5266 in order to achieve this objective.

It is extremely important that the Fire & Rescue Service is consulted. The issues that would need to be addressed include fire service access, fire-fighting facilities and the assistance provided to fire crews when dealing with the evacuation of offenders. The Fire & Rescue Service should be made aware if any of the custodians are trained in the use of breathing apparatus.

Conclusion

It is not possible to cover all the issues that surround the design of custodial properties but it is hoped that the above has provided an understanding of the complexities involved. The Fire Safety Design Guide for Home Office Custodial Property covers the issues in greater detail.

The Fire Safety Design Guide for Home Office Custodial Property is written to provide structured guidance to those involved in the planning, designing or approving of new buildings or the alteration/refurbishment to existing buildings within Custodial Property.

It is essential that the designer has a good understanding of the problems associated with custodial properties and that custodial staff can effectively manage the proposed fire strategy.

Terry O’Neill
Managing Director
Trenton Consultants Limited
Part of the Butler & Young Group

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River Cottage Shop

TV chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has recently opened a new shop in Axminster, together with expanded his River Cottage headquarters, where the emphasis has been on locally sourced building materials.

River Cottage Store & Canteen

This is located in an old public house in Axminster a small town in Devon. It is an organic fair trade & locally sourced produce shop with a canteen in an informal refectory style. The design focuses on sustainable materials, a flexible layout & the creation of a relaxed and rustic atmosphere.

River Cottage Headquarters

The Barn

This is a local food & rural courses centre in Devon focused on organic food & sustainable living. The site consists of an existing barn; farmhouse & tractor shed and has four new buildings that make up the River Cottage Headquarters.

At each end of the farmyard stand existing buildings: a 17th-century farmhouse (now the family home, featuring a new bedroom extension), and an 18th-century threshing barn, (now an activity centre and the River Cottage kitchen). However, there will be two new buildings - one for events, the other offices for the 25ha working farm - plus animal outhouses and a temporary lodge gate at the farm entrance.

Satellite the London based Award winning architects designed the scheme.

Architects: Satellite
Contractors: Milton Abbas-based Magenta Building Conservation
Project Manager: Simon Dovell
Site Inspector: Tim Burgin

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Brooklands College

Butler & Young's Hampton office have been appointed by Bovis Lend Lease to act as Approved Inspectors on this project. The contract value is approximately £80 million and has a duration of 78 weeks.

Site History

Brooklands College boasts a wealth of fascinating history dating all the way back to the early 14th century right up to the present day.

In 1538 King Henry VIII acquired Brooklands, which remained Crown property until 1804. The Locke King family who owned the property were closely associated with the famous Brooklands racetrack, and through their pioneering contribution to British motor-racing and aviation, made the name and the reputation of Brooklands famous throughout the world.

In 1907 Hugh Locke King opened the world's first closed circuit motor-racing track -Brooklands racetrack, which was initially regarded as a most unpopular innovation by the locals. Surrey County Council established Brooklands College on its main site in 1949 - 1950. It was incorporated in 1993, following the Further and Higher Education Act, 1992.

The Scheme

The project itself will be on two sites at Brooklands College in Weybridge Surrey, combining the existing Spelthorne College with the facilities already at Brooklands, and also retaining part of the Spelthorne College site in Ashford Surrey.

The main plan for the Weybridge site includes:

Refurbishment of the Tower Block including recladding.
New Build facilities over 2 phases to achieve overall teaching space of 16,300m2.
Retention of the Engineering and workshop, art block and sports hall.

Spelthorne Ashford site:

Demolish and re-build a new college building, with possibly having to keep the facade from the existing red brick grammar school.
The start on site is programmed for September 2008.
Completion of all the new buildings at both sites by June 2010.

The Hampton office is well versed with dealing with College projects, the main project manager for this will be Matt Pitts, with Colin Winton and Martin Jackson, helping as required to cover Design Team Meetings, site inspections etc. Colin said, " We are delighted to win this prestigious scheme and as the new manager I am pleased that the Team are involved in something with such a high profile".

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Energy performance certificates for the construction, sale and let of non-dwellings

From the 6th April 2008 it is a requirement for a responsible person to supply free of charge an Energy Performance Certificate to a tenant or owner of a newly constructed building.

If you have any project that meets the size criteria below and completes after the associated times you are required under the Energy Performance of Buildings (Certificates and Inspections) (England and Wales) Regulations 2007 (S.I 2007 /1991) as amended by S.I 2007 /1669 and 2007 /3302 to receive notification that an Energy Performance Certificate has been provided. If you do not receive a notice within 5 days of the completion of the work you cannot issue a Final Certificate.

EPC`s are to be provided under the following criteria:

From 6 April 2008 for those buildings with a total useful floor area greater than 10,000m2 From 1 July 2008 for those buildings with a total useful floor area greater than 2,500m2. From 1 October 2008 for all remaining buildings that are not dwellings.

For the purposes of the Regulations, the building size to be considered will be the size of any part designed or altered to be used separately that contains the area being sold or let. This information is in addition to Part L information we normally request.

The requirement to provide EPC`s to existing buildings is governed by Trading Standards.

If you would like to read more about this subject please follow the link below:

http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/planningandbuilding/guidancenondwellings

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