The Project
Works were to provide office space, and also provide a suite of anti-ligature consulting rooms to provide resource for the local community to receive early care and intervention with the aim of preventing the development of more serious mental health issues and a need for even greater care.
This involved the formation of additional office space for the crisis teams and associated administrative and clinical support complete with a mixture of private offices and open plan group working areas.
The consulting rooms were formed as part of phase 2 and consisted of a number of spaces with reduced ligature opportunities. All of this space was located beneath a live mental health inpatient ward requiring careful control and timing of operations to minimise disturbance to the ward above, which also shared a number of services, limiting when isolations and switchovers could take place.
The Challenge
Once opening up had taken place it was noted that a considerable number of penetrations had previously been formed which undermined the fire strategies for Phases 1 and 2 and also compromised the fire separation between Phase 2 and the live mental health ward to the floor above.
The Solution
Make Consulting reviewed the proposed fire strategy, identifying the required fire compartment lines and instructed fire stopping works be undertaken by a third party accredited fire stopping specialist in order to ensure there was proper separation and protection of all spaces including escape routes and the adjacent ward above.
The Outcome
All works were completed successfully with no detriment to the overall completion of works, or the overall contract sum (due to the inclusion of an appropriate contingency at the commencement of works). At completion the client has a demonstrable record of the repairs to the fire compartmentation and peace of mind knowing there is effective protection in place.
