Overview
Byron Central is a purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) development in Newcastle, originally constructed in 2008. The site comprises seven residential blocks and 445 bedrooms, supported by shared amenities including a laundry, study space and cinema room. In 2021, the building required significant fire safety improvements to bring it back into compliance and ensure the safety of its occupants.
Brief
Global HSE Group was appointed to survey and remediate the passive fire protection (PFP) throughout the development. Working to a challenging 12-month programme on a fully occupied site, the scope included surveying, fire-stopping, reinstatement works, and final decoration.
At peak, a team of 42 specialists were deployed across the project, ensuring quality, consistency and minimal disruption to students.
Situation
Comprehensive passive fire surveys were carried out across Blocks A–G, from ground floor level up to roof space. These investigations revealed multiple areas where the existing fire-stopping was inadequate or non-compliant, with defects that could compromise compartmentation and overall fire resistance.
For example, the team identified an exposed base within a service riser, significantly reducing the integrity of the riser and its ability to perform in a fire situation. Other areas showed poor installation of existing fire-stopping that required full removal and correct reinstatement.
Global’s findings highlighted the need for a coordinated programme of remediation works to restore compliance and provide safe, robust accommodation for students.
Challenges
As a live PBSA environment, the project demanded meticulous planning and sensitivity. The priority was to avoid unnecessary disruption to residents, maintain clear communication, and ensure safe access to all working areas.
Despite the original 12-month programme, the Global team delivered all works within 9 months, thanks to efficient sequencing, experienced project management and collaborative teamwork across the site.
Solution
To restore compliance and reinstate full compartmentation, Global delivered a comprehensive package of passive fire protection works. These included:
- Reinstating cluster wall integrity by removing ceiling sections and extending construction to the underside of the timber soffit, achieving correct compartmentation.
- Installing new wall board layers to enhance fire resistance, including additional boarding to achieve 60-minute integrity at key locations such as stair cores.
- Correct fire-stopping of penetrations, particularly where services passed from corridors into bedrooms, ensuring that compartment lines remained continuous.
- Removing defective materials including plasterboard and wall linings, and replacing them with FSI ablative batt installed within existing studs to reinstate fire performance.
- Head-of-wall detailing, extending wall boards to the existing studwork up to the underside of the fire line soffit for a compliant finish.
- Fire strategy improvements, including upgrading automatic fire detectors (AFDs) and installing a Firefly system to improve detection capability across blocks.
This holistic approach ensured that each fire safety measure worked effectively in combination, delivering a compliant, resilient system throughout the building.
Results
The programme resulted in substantial improvements to fire safety across the entire PBSA site, including:
- Reinstated compartmentation throughout the building
- Significantly improved fire resistance and structural integrity
- Corrected and compliant fire-stopping installations
- Enhanced fire detection through upgraded AFDs and Firefly system
- Completion in 9 months, reducing disruption for hundreds of students
Summary
The PBSA provider entrusted Global HSE Group to bring the student accommodation back into compliance and restore confidence in the building’s fire safety measures. From the initial surveys through to full remediation, the Global team delivered a coordinated, technically robust and resident-sensitive programme of passive fire protection works.
By combining engineering expertise with efficient on-site delivery, the project achieved a safer environment for residents while meeting the client’s regulatory and operational expectations.
