Steelwork at award-winning London workspace given fire protection by Sherwin-Williams

An award-winning workspace in the centre of London has become one of the latest buildings to use the proven FIRETEX fire-protection system from Sherwin-Williams.

The Brunel Building, a 22,500m² workspace based next to London Paddington railway station in the UK capital, selected Sherwin-Williams to supply intumescent fire-protective coatings to offer additional fire protection.

Derwent London’s 16-floor construction features a 3.5m-high column-free space throughout due to its unique structural design, winning a gold in the 2016 London Design Awards, a Structural Steel Design Award in 2020 and being shortlisted for several others.

Passive-fire-protection experts from Sherwin-Williams worked with the contractor Laing O’Rouke, structural engineers Arup and in collaboration with specialist structural steel supplier Severfield to ensure the interior and exterior steelwork was protected in the event of fire for up to 60 minutes.

For the interior steelwork, FIRETEX C69 primer, FIRETEX FX2003 intumescent coating and FIRETEX M71V2 decorative topcoat was chosen. For the exterior steelwork, the solution was to use Macropoxy 400 primer, FIRETEX FX6000 intumescent coating and Acrolon C237 topcoat.

The epoxy zinc phosphate primer and Certifire-approved intumescent coat were applied in shop, allowing the contractor to benefit from its fast-drying properties. The fire-tested and fully approved acrylic urethane topcoat also offered strong colour retention to help maintain the Brunel Building’s striking aesthetic appearance.

Severfield Senior Project Manager Andy Luter said: ‘The architectural features and design required a fabricated steel which could be protected off-site and installed with minimum damage. The team at Sherwin-Williams offered a technical solution which allowed the exposed interior steel and exoskeleton to meet the desired fire protection levels without compromising on design or delivery.’

Rick Perkins, Global Product Director – Fire, at Sherwin-Williams, said: ‘The FIRETEX range of products allows us to coat steelwork off-site where relevant with fast drying times, resulting in minimal damage, as well as cost and time savings to help steel fabricators to meet their requirements for fire protection. In a building such as this, where hundreds of people could be moving about at any one time, proven fire protection coatings are vital in protecting lives and property.’

The Brunel Building takes its name from the famous civil engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel in recognition of pioneering work in structural and cast steel designs.

Projects using fire protection coatings delivered by Sherwin-Williams in EMEAI include London’s The Shard, Azerbaijan’s Flame Towers and the Leadenhall Building, known as The Cheesegrater.

For more information on the FIRETEX range offered by Sherwin-Williams Protective & Marine, visit the website.