Timely fire-stopping helps Sports Direct’s refurbishment project
- A two-floor retail unit was selected as the new home of Sports Direct’s store at
Guildford’s Ladymead Retail Park - Extensive refitting and refurbishment necessitated new fire-stopping solutions
and compliance certification throughout - Multiple trades on-site meant the fire-stopping work had to be managed flexibly, but with strict regard for Health and Safety
- Project time scales were extremely tight – less than 3 weeks from commissioning to handover
- Final handover of the fire-stopping work was achieved early, enabling the
store to open its doors and start trading on schedule
THE CLIENT: SPORTS DIRECT
End-client Sports Direct is Europe’s biggest sports retailer, with over 700 stores serving million of customers every week, and an elevation strategy focused on expansion, relocation, and refurbishment. Our client 7Formation is a nationwide fit-out principal contractor to Sports Direct, specialising in the full raft of works for both internal and external build solutions.
THE CHALLENGE WITH SPORTS DIRECT
When Europe’s largest sports retailer decides to relocate its presence to a more prominent position in a popular retail park within 25 miles of London, enabling the refurbished and refitted premises to get up and trading rapidly is a priority.
But refurbishment affects any premises’ fire safety provisions, particularly with regard to the passive fire protection (“PFP”) built into the fabric of the building in walls, ceilings, and other structures.
Where these structures are altered or modified in any way, the refurbishment process must therefore also incorporate fire-stopping work to enable their fire-resistant qualities to be preserved, and for the premises to be certified fire safety-compliant
– a legal requirement.
In practice, this raises many challenges – and this project was no exception. With many different trades working on-site on different aspects of the refurbishment before the fire-stopping work could begin, there were many “moving parts” in play that needed to be closely managed because of their potential adverse effect on fire
safety.
Penetrations in walls, ceilings, and other structures to enable cables and piping to pass through, for example, sometimes (and for legitimate reasons), did not reflect the original plans in terms of size or position. This meant they could not be assumed to require the particular type of fire-stopping solution originally envisaged as compliant for that specific application.
Equally, inevitable variations in work schedule and milestones, often driven by supply chain issues, meant some materials – ducting was one example – were not necessarily available or installed at the time fire-stopping measures were scheduled to be applied to them.
The very tight time scale of the project – less than 3 weeks from commission to completion – also meant sourcing the necessary materials and getting them and the specialists onto site and delivering results that much quicker.
Additionally, the busy and populous environment, with many workers sharing the same space, demanded high levels of adaptability, courtesy, and safety.
THE SOLUTION FOR SPORTS DIRECT
Close liaison with the client’s project manager both in advance of the work and during it was key to delivering an effective, compliant, and cost-effective fire-stopping
programme that got it “right first time” and avoided expensive rework and project overruns.
Before the work began, we worked rapidly with the project manager to enable us to carry out a fire protection survey and to ensure we had a full understanding of the scope, extent, and nature of the work, and could provide both sufficient resources and contingency to deliver it on time.
On-site, that cooperation continued, as we met with the project manager several times daily to flex the schedule, accommodate changing approaches, and generally adapt to protect the deadline.
In terms of the fire-stopping solutions themselves, we based them around intumescent seals that meet BS and EN standards, and enable PFP materials that have been subject to penetrations (for cabling, piping, ducting, service apertures
etc.) to retain their fire resistance.
For each instance of fire-stopping material installed –including those that had changed as compared to the original plan – we ensured the choice of materials used would ensure compliance for that specific application.
As a third-party fire safety certification provider, we were then able to legally certify and label the work as compliant, whilst our CHAS, SafeContractor, and Constructionline Health and Safety accreditations stood us in good stead to work with and around the other trades on site responsibly.
OUTCOMES & RESULTS FOR SPORTS DIRECT
The outcome of our work was that the completion of the fire-stopping project and its handover were delivered early and within budget, and this ultimately helped Sports Direct to open its new store’s doors on time and start trading.
Faced with all the challenges that accompany a major project of this kind, our own background in refurbishment and construction enabled us to work seamlessly alongside other suppliers, and remain flexible, adaptable, and communicative, to
deliver positive outcomes.
Our approach was much appreciated by our direct client 7Formation, where Placement Quantity Surveyor Jacob Smith thanked us in writing for “completing the works and starting promptly to ensure we met our handover date.”
Final handover of the fire-stopping work was achieved early, enabling the store to open its doors and start trading on schedule.
For more information on how CFP can help you protect the buildings and occupants you are responsible for from fire and smoke, and achieve the passive fire protection compliance the law requires, get in touch.
