How Fire Stopping Could Be The New Asbestos For Old Buildings

30th January 2025 | News

Fire stopping has always been important but sadly has not always been paid due attention. Almost all ‘live’ buildings will face the same issues in that details that were standard practice when first built are no longer sufficient today. To compound this, over 40 years of a building’s use it will almost certainly have had new services added or replaced, in the ceiling for example, and regrettably not enough care and attention were paid to the reinstalling and replacing damaged fire bands and breaks, creating an unsafe environment.

Over the last 5 years a series of tragic incidents that have exposed weaknesses in fire safety practices, heightening awareness of fire safety risks and the immediate need for more focused attention and action.

Due to these tragedies the government launched The Hackitt Review, published in 2018, an independent review of building regulations and fire safety, which called for a systemic overhaul of safety practices. It emphasised the importance of proper fire stopping to maintain compartmentation. Off the back of this report the Government passed legislation, Fire Safety Act 2021 and Building Safety Act 2022, to clarify and expand fire safety responsibilities, requiring stricter fire stopping measures.

Large estates in both the public and private sectors now have a very significant challenge when it comes to identifying deficiencies in their current fabric and how to remedy and upgrade these to achieve a compliant and safe building, in a ‘live’ and operational environment.

The cost for this sort of work can be very significant and are nearly impossible to fix prior to entering contract, meaning most projects have to be remeasurable. With this in mind a collaborative approach is often the best way forward. Teamwork and trust between client, designer and contractor is essential to secure efficient solutions and value outcomes.

In many senses it does feel that the safety and cost burden of this issue is comparable to the challenge building owners have faced for the last 30+ years with asbestos containing project materials. That said, as an industry we are more than equipped to meet the challenge of preserving buildings and ensuring their occupants safety.