Fire is a worldwide problem, whether inside a building or not, people die from its effects, directly or indirectly. Each year fires in buildings throughout the world kill thousands of people and injure many thousands more. The challenge therefore is on the designer, developer and building owner to reduce these losses whilst continuing to design buildings, which are fit for purpose, convenient for normal use and safe for all occupants.
For the development team fire safety is just one of the many factors that must be considered when designing large and complex buildings or refurbishing existing ones. Although every building design is different, codes and regulations attempt to set out standard solutions, which often discourage design concepts or affect the economic viability of a building or development. Changes, however to Approved Document B now provide the development team with an opportunity to use ‘performance based’ fire engineering technology as an alternative solution.
Lawrence Webster Forrest (LWF) are specialist fire engineering and fire risk management consultants who provide a wide range of consultancy services to professionals involved in the design, development and construction of buildings.
As the UK’s leading independent fire safety engineering consultancy, LWF have established an enviable reputation for achieving high standards of fire safety design using the latest developments in fire engineering technology and the application of fire safety standards.
Life, property and business protection measures are designed, based on our in-depth understanding of what is required to satisfy both the Local Authority Building Control Officer and Fire Brigade.
This is apparent in the many projects which we have undertaken in the UK and Mainland Europe, where our specialist knowledge and practical approach has enabled us to design alternative fire safety solutions to meet the requirements of the regulatory authorities.
Fire engineering offers many benefits to the construction industry and those professionals who are concerned with the reduction of the effects of fire on people, property and the environment. Fire engineering can:
Form the basis of design, especially for major building projects, which cannot be designed using present technical guidance and legislation.
Overcome design constraints imposed by prescriptive regulations and codes.
Determine how safe buildings are by allowing a comparison of safety levels for alternative designs.
Facilitate more cost-effective design whilst maintaining safety levels.
Embrace the management of fire safety for a building’s entire life cycle.
With our knowledge and practical approach we are able to develop, where required, alternatives to the standard fire safety solutions recommended by the various codes and technical guidance and successfully negotiate their acceptance with the regulatory authorities - often with significant cost saving to the project.
Assistance can be provided on any project large or small and at any stage in the life of the project. However, past experience shows that involving us at a very early stage can often provide cost advantage against costly delays and design changes which may happen at a later date in the project.
To discuss any aspect of fire engineering further please call - 020 8668 8663
About LWF
