Royal Horticultural Society

Capital was brought in to deliver a full fire stopping works to the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) head office building in London.

The project's focus was ensuring all fire compartmentation throughout the building was safe, and compliant. We completed a full fire stopping survey, after which we sealed any problematic gaps, repairing and installing any additional fire stopping as needed.

  • Client

    Royal Horticultural Society - Head Office

  • Location

    London

  • Project timeline

    12 weeks

The challenge

The RHS building combines public areas, office space and specialist functional zones, each with different fire resistance and compartmentation requirements. 

The project presented several challenges, the building had a high density of mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) services passed through compartment walls and floors, creating some very complex service penetrations. 

Every installation also needed to meet the requirements of Approved Document B and recognised test standards such as BS 476 and EN 1366, using third-party tested and certified systems. As the building was continually in use throughout the project, works also had to be completed with minimal disruption to staff and visitors.

Our approach

We began with a full fire compartmentation survey across the building, inspecting walls, floors, risers and structural openings. 

Each service penetration, gap and junction was recorded, photographed and assessed against the building's fire strategy, plus any regulations. This provided the client with a clear schedule of required remedial works.

We then got to work addressing any issues we found, including sealing service penetrations around plastic and metal pipes, cable trays and electrical conduits. We installed linear gap seals to head-of-wall and slab edge junctions, applied fire-rated mastic and acrylic sealants, and fitted fire collars and wraps to soil and waste pipes. Intumescent pillows and blocks were also used in riser cupboards.

The outcome

The completed works achieved full compliance with the building’s fire strategy and the relevant Building Regulations. 

The fire compartments were fully compliant with zero major non-conformances at handover. The Royal Horticultural Society Head Office now benefits from robust, clearly documented fire stopping that supports compliance, and most importantly, protects staff, visitors and the general public. 

The fire stopping works were completed to a very high standard, with excellent communication and full compliance throughout the project lifecycle.

Project Manager, RHS Building

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