Fire team expands Midlands offering after increase in appointments

The chapmanbdsp fire team has expanded its offering in the Midlands in response to an increase in enquiries and appointment on a diverse range of projects.

The engineering and design consultancy has seen an increase in demand for its fire expertise and is providing fire engineering strategies on a number of jobs, including Santander’s new £75m head office in Bootle.

It has also just completed advisory work on the proposed refurbishment of West Midlands Police’s Steelhouse Lane Lock-up in the heart of Birmingham.

The £75m Santander project will see the replacement of existing offices with a new 230,000 sq ft, three-storey building. When completed, it will be one of the largest composite steel and cross-laminated timber structures in the UK and home to more than 2,500 staff.

The scheme is being led by Jack Carter Architects (JCA) and will use passive radiant ceiling panels and a central saw-tooth atrium space for heating and cooling. The building is targeting BREEAM Excellent and chapmanbdsp’s fire strategy and fire engineering solution has been devised around the building’s extensive use of timber.

The Steelhouse Lane police cells are based on an historic site once used to house high-profile criminals, including members of the infamous Peaky Blinders gang. The listed building, and a new exhibition space, is expected to be open to the public by the end of 2020.

Paul McLaughlin, head of operations at chapmanbdsp, said more resource would now be based at the chapmanbdsp’s Birmingham office to be closer to projects. He said: ‘Our growth in the Midlands reflects of our commitment to the area and come during a sustained increase in demand for our services.’

 

PIC. The proposed interior of the Standander building, courtesy of JCA.