In partnership with the team at Darwin Group, the Flux Fire team provided expert firestopping services to a new £49.9 million addition to NHS Bristol Southmead Hospital.
About the Project
To enable the provision of an additional 6,500 operations in the area each year, the Elective Centre project involved a collaboration between University Hospitals Bristol, North Bristol NHS Trust, and Weston NHS Foundation Trust, supported by Bristol, North Somerset, and South Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board, with NHS England. This advanced facility development included the addition of X-ray facilities, 40 patient beds, and 12 medirooms.
The Flux Fire team were contacted to provide expert fire-stopping services and ensure that the new facilities complied with relevant building regulations and maintained the highest level of fire protection.
Key objectives identified at instruction:
- A fast-paced programme was required
- Tight integration with other trades, notably M&E contractors, drylining and suspended ceilings
- Working in condensed working environments alongside a high volume of other trades
- The highest levels of compliance, quality assurance testing, and recording are required at all times to meet Flux Fire’s internal QA requirements, the NHS Trust’s third-party assessors, and to ensure alignment with the Government’s Golden Thread initiative.
Services Provided
- Structural steel encasement – providing 60- and 120-minute fire ratings using Rockwool BeamClad and a Promat P250 system. Fire protection of the structural steel frame using fire-rated boards and insulations – encasing beams and columns with fire-protective boarding.
- Firestopping to mechanical and electrical service penetrations through all riser cupboards, fire-rated walls, floors and ceilings.
- Rockwool H&V pipe lagging to pipework
- Firestopping to duct dampers
- Head of wall void fire-rated seals and trapezoidal infills
- Fire-rated structural compounding to floors in risers
- Installation of fire-rated putty pads to all electrical back boxes, plug sockets, switches and the like.
- Intumescent coatings to structural steelwork where a boarded encasement solution wasn’t possible – using Tremco Nullifire SC601.
- Air sealing to all rooms
Our Approach
Flux Fire Protection worked closely with Darwin Group, the Main Contractor and Modular Build Specialist, as their passive fire protection delivery partner.
Our team were involved in the project from the early stages of design, integrating closely with the Main Contractor and the other appointed subcontractors, notably the M&E Contractors, MJ Quinn, and the drylining contractor. Being involved in such a large project, it was vital to ensure that all trades interfaced as efficiently as possible with respect to design, programme, sequencing, and installation details.
Flux Fire were in continuous attendance on site for around a year, with a dedicated project delivery team including a site manager and SSTS supervisors overseeing a site team of over 15 firestopping installer operatives at peak times. During the project, our team also navigated visiting attendance from Contract Managers and the Quantity Surveying department.
The Result
By working collaboratively with multiple stakeholders, the expert team of firestopping professionals at Flux Fire were able to successfully deliver vital fire protection services to this significant development.
A great project was delivered for the NHS, adding capacity for another 4 operating theatres, 40 recovery beds, ward space, and 12 medirooms to the NHS estate portfolio as part of a wider NHS estate expansion scheme adopting the modular construction methodology.
Get In Touch
For any enquiries or questions regarding firestopping services in your area, please call 0330 175 9109 or contact our team at info@fluxfire.co.uk.
