Promat provides fire-rated glazing and door solutions for Grade II listed retail conversion

Nationwide glazing contractor PGS Glass has partnered with passive fire protection specialist Promat to provide fire resistant screens and fire doors for a project which has converted a disused listed building into a new travel centre for Trailfinders.

The building project in the heart of Windsor, Berkshire has rejuvenated a prime retail property on the town’s High Street, which had stood empty since it was vacated by the previous occupier. Award-winning architects Lustedgreen were tasked with the transformation of the building and successfully create the high quality accommodation required by the prestigious travel industry brand.

The Grade II listed status of the mid-18th century building required a sensitive approach to the conversion work to ensure the redecoration of the shopfront, new signage and all the internal refurbishment over five floors would comply with planning and conservation area stipulations.

The layout of the ground floor and first floor also had to be configured to meet today’s fire safety requirements, without compromising the aesthetic vision or other important design objectives. These included maximising the use of the space and ensuring visibility and light transmission between areas was optimised.

Overcoming the listed building status challenges

The fire safety goals were achieved by forming a ground floor lobby using fire resistant glass screens and fire rated doors. A similar approach was adopted on the first floor to compartmentalise additional sales and meeting areas.

Fit-out contractor, Barnwood Construction, approached PGS Glass to provide these key internal elements, who immediately recommended the fully tested fire resistant glazing system, Promat SYSTEMGLAS® Ligna, to meet the design and performance objectives.

PGS used this system to manufacture and install three EI60 fire rated screens on the ground floor, integrated with a matching fire rated door set. The timber selected for the screen framing was European Oak and this was closely replicated in a veneer finish on the door set.

Two further Promat SYSTEMGLAS® Ligna screens were created on the first floor with an EI30 rating, complete with another fire door.

Paul Groves, Contracts Manager at PGS Glass, a Promat recommended installer, said: “This was a particularly interesting project given the characteristics of this historic building, and the contemporary design created by Lustedgreen. Having worked closely with Promat for many years, we knew we could consult with them at an early stage to develop the correct specification for the screens and fire doors and provide the project team and client with a high quality, fully compliant solution.”

All systems in the Promat SYSTEMGLAS® range benefit from the 360-degree wheel of assurance which offers traceability throughout the supply chain in line with the golden thread. Promat can trace the system from its raw material origins, through manufacturing and processing to installation and post-completion checks to significantly reduce the margin for errors.

To find out more about Promat SYSTEMGLAS® and Promat UK’s 360-degree ‘wheel of assurance’ visit https://www.promat.com/en-gb/industry/technologies...