Facade Fire Safety & Recladding

Patrick Ryan Associates offer integrated solutions for fire risk assessment, safety, engineering and design of the façade elements for any new build or refurbishment project.

We have a team of highly experienced façade designers, engineers, fire safety specialists, building physics practitioners and structural engineers who are committed to providing competence based, compliant and innovative fire safety design, engineering and assessment.

The Building Safety Act and Gateway Process

In recent years, the remediation of unsafe Higher Risk Buildings (HRB’s) has been an urgent requirement for property owners, developers, managers and residents alike.

Also, ensuring that new HRB’s are designed for fire safety and constructed using compliant materials is of utmost importance to architects, developers and contractors.

The Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) introduced new duties for the management of the design process and fire safety in HRB's and new requirements.  This included the role of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) as the new building control body.

The BSR is responsible for implementing and enforcing a more stringent regulatory regime for all existing and new buildings in scope (over 18m or 6 stories in height) through the BSR Gateway process.

The BSR Gateway Process

The “Gateway process” manages the design and construction of HRB’s, involving three check points or gateways .

Gateway 1 - Pre-planning

Gateway 2 - Pre-construction

Gateway 3 – Pre-occupation

Gateways 2 and 3 are critical stop/go decision points.

Gateway 2 replaces the building control “deposit of plans state, which occurs prior to construction work starting. At this stage, the BSR reviews the applications and the building design which must demonstrate compliance with Building Regulations requirements. Developers need BSR approval before starting any building work.

Gateway 3 occurs at completion stage. After construction is finished, the BSR assesses if the building was constructed according to the approved plans and if it meets all relevant Building Regulations.

Successful Gateway 2 Applications

A successful Gateway 2 application with the BSR is vital in minimising delays to HRB schemes requiring remediation as well as helping to get new build projects off the ground.

Patrick Ryan Associates have a proven track record and competence in providing façade fire safety design and engineering services. We have also completed Gateway 2 applications that have now successfully passed  Gateway 3 as well, one of the first consultants to achieve this milestone.

What PRA Offers

We offer a full service for façade fire engineering including:

• Investigating the compliance of façade cladding products (ACM and non-ACM), for the remediation of HRB’s and buildings of 11-18m as well
• Fire Risk Appraisal of External Walls (FRAEW) according to the PAS 9980:2022 methodology, with report
• Organising testing of cladding and insulation materials for flammability with relevant UKAS accredited fire testing facilities
• Professional guidance with regards to any remedial works necessary from planning through to completion
• Design and Specification of façade solution that will meet the necessary Building Regulations requirements
• Project monitoring of the façade contractors’ tender package and subsequent design output
• Onsite monitoring of the contractors’ work throughout the façade replacement process
• Fire engineering input during Gateway 2 & 3 (for the external façade elements of recladding schemes)

Of course, we also offer our façade consultancy services on the development of new build schemes.

If you would like to contact us regarding your project or specific requirement, please call or email us:
Email contact@patrickryanassociates.com
Telephone 0208 254 9920

We have also published several articles on the topic of Façade Remediation on HRB’s.