Case Study - Paragon Estate
Fire Safety Assurance for Modular Student Accommodation
KFS provided independent fire safety assurance for the complex remediation of Paragon Estate, a major modular residential and student accommodation development. Bringing together Fire Engineering and Product Evaluation expertise, KFS helped the client assess design proposals, supporting evidence and their alignment with the building’s fire strategy.
Contracting Client: Equans
Client: Notting Hill Genesis (NHG)
Location: Brentford, West London
Industry Sector: Education - Student Accommodation
Key Elements of the Project
Purpose-Built Student Accommodation
Volumetric Modular Construction
KFS Fire Safety Guardian
Fire Engineering and Product Evaluation
Complex Remediation Programme
The Project
Paragon Estate is a six-block residential and student accommodation development in Brentford, West London. The buildings range from four to 17 storeys and provide more than 1,000 homes.
The buildings were constructed using steel-framed volumetric modular construction. At the time of construction, the development was one of the UK’s largest and most ambitious modular schemes.
Following the identification of significant structural and fire safety concerns, Notting Hill Genesis took the decision to evacuate residents in 2020. After extensive intrusive investigations and technical assessments, Equans was appointed to undertake a £72 million remediation and reinvestment programme.
The work represents one of the UK’s most significant remediation programmes involving a high-rise modular construction system.
The Challenge
The programme presented a complex combination of structural, fire safety and construction challenges associated with the existing modular buildings.
The factory-manufactured steel-framed modules interacted with the façade, structural elements, compartmentation and other building systems. Understanding these interfaces was essential to assessing whether proposed remediation measures would support the intended fire safety strategy.
The intrusive investigations also revealed uncertainties about the existing construction. As the remediation design developed, proposed changes to individual products and systems needed to be considered in the context of the building as a whole.
The client therefore needed independent technical oversight to review proposals, challenge assumptions and assess whether submissions were supported by appropriate evidence.
The Solution
KFS was appointed to provide independent fire safety advice and technical assurance as part of the Fire Guardian service, throughout the evolving remediation programme.
The project brought together KFS’s Fire Safety Engineering and Product Evaluation specialists. Acting on the client’s behalf, fire safety engineers reviewed the overall fire safety strategy and considered how proposed design changes could affect evacuation, life-safety systems and the intended performance of the buildings. Product Evaluation specialists assessed the technical evidence supporting relevant products, systems and assemblies.
Working as one team, the specialists reviewed whether proposed solutions:
- Remained aligned with the agreed fire safety strategy
- Were supported by appropriate test evidence and technical justification
- Considered the interaction between different systems
- Could be inspected, maintained and managed effectively following completion
KFS reviewed the structural fire engineering designs developed by others and identified areas where proposed protection measures or underlying assumptions did not align with the fire strategy or the available test evidence. KFS then worked with the wider design team to clarify the implications and identify where amendments, further justification or additional testing were required.
KFS also reviewed the cause-and-effect proposals for the fire alarm and detection systems. This identified instances where the proposed operation did not reflect the evacuation strategy or the intended response of other life-safety systems. Where changes were proposed, KFS assessed their wider impact and challenged those that could reduce the intended level of life-safety protection.
The Outcome
KFS provided the client and wider project team with an additional layer of independent technical assurance throughout a complex and continually evolving remediation programme.
By combining Fire Safety Engineering with specialist Product Evaluation expertise, KFS were uniquely positioned to help identify potential inconsistencies and evidential gaps before proposed solutions were incorporated into the works. This enabled the project team to make more informed technical decisions and maintain alignment between the fire safety strategy, individual building systems and the available supporting evidence. |Ensuring the appropriate level of safety for all occupants.
KFS’s reviews also considered the longer-term inspection, maintenance and management of proposed solutions. This helped the client consider not only how fire safety measures would perform as part of the completed works, but how they could be managed effectively long after handover.
Through a collaborative but independently minded approach, KFS helped the project team resolve complex issues pragmatically while maintaining a clear focus on life safety, technical evidence and long-term building management.
Connect Your Fire Strategy with What Can Actually Be Delivered
Facing a complex design, remediation challenge or unresolved product detail? Speak to KFS about bringing Fire Engineering, Product Evaluation and practical project expertise together to identify a clear way forward.
