Case Study: St Helen's Place
Featuring a ‘dual-access entrance lobby of 16 St Helen’s Place extends [a] route […] into the heart of […]the St Helen’s Place Conservation Area including two ancient churches with roots stretching back further than the Great Fire of London.’[1]
St Helen’s Place brings the grandeur of the past, alongside the strong, clean lines of modern architecture.
The Southern arcade of St Ethelburga’s church remains, despite damage from the Blitz in 1953, and an IRA bombing in 1993, and was formally reopened in 2002 as the Centre for Reconciliation and Peace.[2] The project also features an ‘enclosed, semi-pedestrianised’[3] peaceful enclave, a stone’s throw from the medieval church of St Helen’s Bishopsgate,’[4] also subject to the IRA bombing in 1993.
Product
We worked alongside Allies and Morrison, Brookfield, and Multiplex to provide Smoke and Fire Curtains that sympathetically dovetailed with the high specification interiors, providing protection against the spread of smoke and fire throughout the prestigious building.
Result
We successfully installed all systems on time.
Our relationship with Brookfield properties continues with us servicing the systems in-situ.
Project
We installed five FC90EI minute flame resisting fire curtain systems, fully compliant with BS EN 1634-3 (smoke leakage); giving 30-minute (integrity), and 30-minutes (insulation) rating; complete with the much desired- galvanised steel and bronze detailing. The 90-minute integrity and insulation rating ensured that temperatures on the surface of the fire curtain are greatly reduced, for 90 minutes up to 1000°C, and stop mean temperatures on the unexposed side of the curtain from breaching 140°C to allow building users to safely pass the Fire Curtain during an emergency evacuation.
Due to the high-end quality of the building, and the focus on panoramic views and high-quality, open concept office spaces, BDL Dry Lining were keen to ensure that fire safety products did not interrupt the design aesthetic of the interior, but still provided the necessary fire safety requirements for each structure. This meant that the stainless steel headboxes and guides had to remain flush with the building’s interior.
Challenge
Due to the historic nature of the building, design and installation of the fire curtains around the lift shaft had to be of the highest quality, ensuring secure building compartmentation so fire and smoke could not spread through the lift shaft, while also ensuring the aesthetics of the space were uninterrupted.
As such, St Helens Place required a non-standard finish, including galvanised steel curtain housing, side guides and bottom bars on all systems, with the added aesthetic feature of Syntha Pulvin Anodite powder coating in Bronze 545.
Links
[1] Allies and Morrison, ‘100 Bishopsgate,’ 29.10.2021
[2] Explore Churches, ‘St Ethelburga the Virgin’ 29.10.2021.
[3] Allies and Morrison, ‘100 Bishopsgate’ 29.10.2021.
[4] Allies and Morrison, ‘100 Bishopsgate’ 29.10.2021
