Mike Lewis | Project Director, Laing O’Rourke
Our newest addition to the Optimum Group and our fastest-growing division with over 20 FIRAS accredited Fire-Stoppers.
Our Firas accredited installers have the experience to install fire-stopping through drywall, concrete and blockwork.
We can deliver certified products and installation methods in accordance with industry standards. Coupled with the latest reporting technology to capture every aspect of the process we can ensure the management of information is organised and accessible through the duration of all fire stopping projects.
We are confident that working with Optimum Fire Stopping will give you the peace of mind and the confidence that your project deserves.
Mike Lewis | Project Director, Laing O’Rourke
The newly constructed £350 million 471-bed hospital in Llanfrechfa, Wales, provides complex specialist and critical care treatment for over 600,000 people in South-East Wales, and includes a 24-hour acute assessment unit and emergency department. Optimum’s Fire Stopping Division worked in partnership with specialist suppliers such as Rockwool and Hilti to provide high-level fire protection throughout the project. Acoustic batt penetrations ensured that the appropriate decibel range was achieved in all rooms, all of which varied depending on individual privacy specifications.
With the COVID-19 pandemic putting extreme pressure on the UK and subsequent healthcare services, the Aneurin Bevin Health Board sought immediate assistance from Laing O’Rourke and their supply chain to open this hospital even earlier than originally scheduled. The SCCC hospital had the potential to play a significant part in assisting the Welsh government in their response to the pandemic and Optimum were eager to assist. Our incredible team of fire stoppers, unprecedented in their numbers, were required to work over and beyond a normal working week, often on-site Saturday and Sunday on top of double shifts and it was this collaborative effort and dedication from the team which delivered such an important ward well ahead of time.
Client Laing O'Rourke's Project Director, Mike Lewis had this to say about our Fire Stopping team "It is a pleasure working with such a professional dedicated forward-thinking company who are solutions-focused whilst supporting the client (NHS) in achieving their goals"
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Coppergate, a new 14-storey student accommodation, has risen from its car park origins to become one of the city’s tallest building. This elegant tower with two six-storey wings has been a welcome addition to Swansea’s skyline due to the eye catching “colour changing” exterior. Optimum worked for Create Construction on this project from late 2018 and had completed the internal wall and floor penetration sealing in every room on every floor, including the gym and commercial units, by late summer of 2019.
As with all accommodation projects, safety is paramount and we had to ensure that each and every one of Coppergate’s prospective students were safeguarded by installing specified fire sealing requirements in all of the 310 bedrooms. This process is designed, in the unlikely event of a fire, to significantly slow the rate in which the fire spreads through the building in order to generate precious time for occupants to follow the Prime Student Living’s safety precautions for evacuation.
Whilst there were challenges to overcome in a huge project such as this, we worked collaboratively with Create to produce an iconic landmark that has been finished to the highest standard in both design and safety.
Working in partnership with many of the leading Facility Management companies across the South West, our expert Fire Stoppers are adaptable and can work to a Client’s individual design requirements and limitations. We provide a variety of services to upgrade new as well as existing, period and listed properties, whilst maintaining the highest standards of expertise, sensitivity and above all client confidentiality.
We operate in all building sectors from assisted living, care homes and general residential buildings to offices, schools, warehouses and medical/pharmaceutical facilities. Our team of specialists are qualified, trained and experienced whist working within live and active environments so building closures are not required. We always adapt our working methods around the client’s needs to ensure the safety of the building occupants.
Designed to be the tallest residential building in Bristol, and sitting on the largest urban green space in the City, Castle Park View will certainly be an interesting landmark for the city centre. Working with client Bouygues, since July 2020, Optimum are enjoying their involvement in such a prestigious project in our home town. Built on the site of a former ambulance station, this 26-storey tower and 10-storey block will provide 375 homes through a mixture of Build to Rent and affordable housing as well as a business centre, concierge reception and leisure facilities and will keep all departments busy through 2021.
The Fire Stopping team will be sealing the wall & floor penetrations in every area of the building. Our fire stoppers are also using a world-leading UL-certified 2-hour fire-rated, watertight sound suppressing expansion joint, in the Emshield DFR2 System. Imported from the USA, to meet the specific needs of the client on this innovative project. Featuring a traffic-grade silicone sealing surface on both the upper and lower faces, adhered to a fire-retardant impregnated foam backing. It eliminates the need for additional fire blankets, mineral wools, liquid sealants, cover plates, or other fire stopping materials and is likely to be one of just a few used within the construction industry across Europe. This system along with our experienced and accredited team members demonstrates our expertise and ability to meet the individual needs of a project regardless of size.
We relish the opportunity to work with innovative clients, products and suppliers and we understand that the best projects are the ones that develop over time and throw up new challenges for our on-site teams.
Marina Gardens, a £25 million-pound residential housing development in the regenerated harbour area of Portishead just outside of Bristol, offered just that challenge. The project, for long-term client Midas Construction, comprises of 127 one and two-bedroom luxury apartments in six separate blocks with internal courtyard, cafe, gym and spa complex.
Optimum Drywall Systems were awarded the £2.1 million drylining and suspended ceilings package that included the installation of a Knauf AMF ceiling to the ground floor areas, including the café and spa. This created a challenge for the on-site team, as the ‘wood wool’ tiles formed feature panels within a plasterboard ceiling. This required a high degree of accuracy to set out the panels as there was no tolerance within the specified tile system. The specification for the external soffits was for a semi-marine environment so careful sourcing of components was required to meet the performance criteria. The result was a ceiling detail providing both an acoustic treatment and stunning aesthetic.
It was great to hear such positive feedback from the end client:
“I know it has been expressed before, but the professionalism, hard work and can-do attitude shown by all hasn’t gone unnoticed and is very much appreciated”
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The HPC projects have been 2 major developments within the Hinkley Point complex in the Southwest of England. Working closely with Firetherm we were able to offer a highly experienced Firestopping solution to all compartmentation works throughout both projects.
Both contracts involved Firestopping around service penetrations passing through walls and floors. Air Sealing and Acoustic requirements were carried out throughout the building to non-fire rated compartmentations. All Firetherm products were installed by fully qualified Firas Installers and recorded to the Bolster system.
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Where the walls and ceilings of a building form part of the fire strategy compartmentation plan it is essential that all penetrations are sealed to prevent the spread of smoke, fire and the transfer of heat to other areas.
Cavity barriers create separation within concealed spaces and prevent the spread of fire, smoke and heat transfer. Many buildings have hidden cavities and voids where only the specified fire-stopping material has to be installed into the cavity/voids.
Acoustic Sealing is carried out to various substrates to maintain the dB rating required to both Fire and non-fire rated walls.
Air sealing is carried out to the external envelope of a building, it helps to reduce heat loss and makes a building more energy efficient.
As a requirement of the FIRAS Schemes, certificated companies are required to employ, on a permanent or contract basis, competent Supervisors and Technicians (Operators) whose technical and practical competence is assessed by FIRAS Inspectors in the trade disciplines for which certification scope is held.
A register of competent employees is maintained for each certificated company, which is regularly reviewed to ensure that the company maintains a competent workforce whose abilities remain current with the workscope the company provides.
Once certificated, all FIRAS Registered Installer Companies are subject to ongoing random inspection of their installation work on ongoing contracts along with an annual audit of their office systems by FIRAS Inspectors to ensure that compliance with FIRAS Scheme Requirements is maintained.
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