DBR (London) Ltd (DBR), one of the UK’s leading conservation construction contractors has expanded the scope of its Fire Safety Improvement Division, increasing the size of its team and enhancing its services to offer clients a more tailored proposition for historic buildings.
This growth directly responds to a 300% increase in enquiries for fire-safety design and fit-out services since 2017, which prompted DBR to engage with clients to develop a comprehensive, heritage-specific fire safety improvement package.
A powerful proposition
Tailored to an individual building’s needs, and flexible to its evolving requirements, the enhancement delivers a heritage-compliant, expert-led service to achieve the highest-quality outcome, with minimal intervention and maximum efficiency.
Central to this offering is the delivery of a holistic end-to-end service, from assessment and design, through to coordination and installation. This is complemented by a rigorous, independent third-party inspection by an officially accredited fire engineer.
Importantly, the package has been designed to achieve the overall objective of fire-safety systems approval and regulatory compliance within the shortest timeframe, by ensuring listed-building consents required to carry out the work adopt the appropriate language, and recognition of the significance, of the affected heritage assets.
Unrivalled expertise
This powerful proposition is being delivered by DBR’s now 12-strong team of fire-safety specialists, who possess extensive knowledge and experience of the highly nuanced requirements of heritage buildings.
Having conducted fire assessments, delivered design work and system-installation services across a number of high-profile projects on nationally significant landmarks and UNESCO World Heritage sites, they possess a unique understanding of this crucial requirement.
To ensure the team stays up to date with the latest regulations and codes, the contractor has also invested heavily in skills and training, complemented by continual on-job assessment for quality assurance.
Enquiries growth
Going from strength to strength, the fire-safety provision package is already being implemented across a handful of prestigious projects, including Gainsborough Old Hall, Lincolnshire and Down House, Orpington.
This has been complemented by a significant rise in enquiries for the enhanced service in Q1 of 2022.
Commenting on the company’s fire safety enhancement, Adrian Attwood, DBR’s Executive Director, says: ‘Ensuring top-level fire safety in a heritage environment, regardless of its construction, should be a number-one priority for all custodians of historic structures and estates. Whilst there are hard and fast rules, there are a wide array of specific dos and don’ts when approaching heritage structures. That’s why it’s vital to equip the team conducting the assessments, delivering the design and installing the systems with the correct knowledge and tools to implement a robust and sensitive solution to life safety and asset protection.’
He continues: ‘Since Grenfell there has been a concerted drive to improve fire-safety regulation across the board and the fire at Notre Dame has reinforced the needs of historic buildings and construction sites. DBR has long been recognised as a leader in the heritage field and, keen to maintain our team’s deserved reputation, and prepare them for tighter regulations and inspection protocol, investing in this fire-safety enhancement provides another holistic DBR service for the care of heritage building occupants, visitors and historic fabric.
‘Their job is a highly specialised one, requiring the delivery of effective solutions without compromising the integrity of the building’s fabric, not detracting from it visually. The sizeable increase in enquiries over the last five years is testament to their unrivalled skill and experience.’
DBR has further complemented the enhancement of the Fire Safety Improvement Division with companywide fire-safety training, to broaden staff knowledge of current and future requirements around this important issue.
To find out more about DBR’s fire safety improvement services click here.
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