OFR advises fire strategy for historic Scottish castle

A team of fire engineering specialists from OFR Consultants have helped to deliver a fairy-tale ending for a stunning heritage property in Ayrshire. Located in beautiful rural Scotland, the new Endeavour Penthouse Apartment at the Category B listed five-star Glenapp Castle Hotel was completed last month following an extensive £2m refurbishment and is now open to guests.

Upon appointment the team quickly embedded itself in the scheme, understanding the client’s ambitions for the project and engaging early with Building Standards to ensure the fire strategy proposals were clearly communicated. This enabled OFR to build a good working relationship with both the Building Standards team and the local Fire and Rescue Service.

The project required an extensive and detailed fire safety strategy for the third-floor suite refurbishment as well as a retrospective fire strategy for the rest of the historic building, resulting in OFR delivering a full fire strategy for the building which will support ongoing fire safety management for the whole hotel. Providing support from initial concept to detailed design and through the construction phase, including several site inspections and associat

ed reports, the team contributed significantly to the project. They were also involved in checking and reviewing detailed design information such as suppression drawings and design information, fire detection and alarm drawings, passive fire protection around historic cast-iron structural elements and positive pressurisation system drawings.

Stephen explained: ‘We’re proud to have been involved in the exciting process of upgrading this really unique building – and that we were able to bring our technical expertise to ensure that this beautiful listed, historic property has achieved the required fire safety requirements whilst also following the important Historic Environment Scotland fire safety guidance.

‘By integrating innovative systems and practices, including recommending a compartment floor upgrade from above, a positive pressurisation system for one of the main stairs and also active, dynamic signage within the third-floor suite to direct people away from a stair depending upon the location of a fire, we know that the fire life safety of occupants within the third-floor suite has been maximised.’

For more information about the new Endeavour Penthouse Apartment and the Glenapp Castle Hotel please visit www.glenappcastle.com/the-endeavour/