De-risking heritage projects – a spotlight on fire safety
Beginning any heritage project involves a process of peeling back layers, which together tell the story of that building’s evolution.
Graham Shaw
Chief Operating Officer, Contracts
Beginning any heritage project involves a process of peeling back layers, which together tell the story of that building’s evolution. These structures are hundreds of years old, so gaps in archives and records are inevitable and they are often occupied so the ability to carry out in depth surveys and analysis is impaired.
Layer on top changes in building regulations over the years and you’re dealing with a patchwork of information where everyone is playing a game of catch up. But we can make that game easier to win by taking a different approach from day one.
A problem shared
To begin a process of truly de-risking these types of projects we need to start by bringing together all the relevant stakeholders, from clients to architects and developers, contractors to fire safety and conservation experts. There’s no question that doing this at the start of a renovation takes time and costs money, but those costs will be significantly less than if the proper preparation isn’t done and teams are forced to pause during a build.
Setting up the project team for success is imperative. Our priority needs to be developing a fully co-ordinated technical design at pre-construction stage; we need to adopt an ADD approach to the project lifecycle:
Assess – to identify a cumulative measure of refurbishment risk through fact finding, reviewing existing information, validating existing infrastructure and procuring relevant surveys where possible.
Develop – ensuring the proposal is fully compliant with the latest Building Regulations, implementing project rigour so technical teams can develop a suitable design, market testing with supply chain intelligence.
Deliver – bringing a robust and coordinated design to the open market, seeking fixed costs and encouraging ‘meaningful’ and sensible risk. There should be a strong focus on construction programme sequencing with procurement involved throughout to mitigate the timelines associated with specialist restoration.
The Golden Thread
These early stages present the moment to define the Golden Thread, the digital record of building information that is captured and shared through the project lifecycle and will provide clarity for future work and maintenance.
For buildings never designed with modern fire standards in mind, the Golden Thread becomes the first reliable, centralised record of their fabric – mapping hidden voids, legacy materials and past interventions that could otherwise create dangerous blind spots. By feeding this digital backbone, teams gain a transparent, shared environment where decisions are traceable and responsibilities clear.
The power of shared knowledge
Bringing together these decades of experience at the start of a build is invaluable and, crucially, it means shared knowledge is brought to the table on how to tackle issues that could be uncovered during the works. While no heritage building is the same, there are common themes that crop up, especially when dealing with fire safety risks.
Concealed cavities, hidden voids behind panelling, ageing service routes and outdated electrical systems can all create undetected pathways for fire and smoke, while poor or inconsistent compartmentation makes it difficult to contain an incident once it begins.
Adding modern safety systems including sprinklers, alarms or passive fire protection requires a careful balancing act: interventions must enhance safety without compromising the building’s historical integrity or breaching conservation requirements.
Selecting appropriate materials can also be challenging, as new products must be compatible with centuries-old structures to ensure performance and long-term durability. Together, these factors make early, detailed risk identification essential to delivering safe and sensitive upgrades.
The importance of heritage specialists
It is vital that specialists in heritage projects are involved across every stage of the decision-making process. At AIS, we’re proud to have a team with decades of experience working across these sites, but our strength comes from the partnerships we have built along the way with experts such as property and construction consultants Regency Grove and architects Pensaer who we have most recently worked with on the Embassy of Brazil renovation in Trafalgar Square.
The rich knowledge sharing that these types of partnerships bring should extend across the whole supply chain. We need to identify the gaps and work together to provide more education and support. There is a lot of movement in the right direction, but we need to eliminate the perception that any part of the supply chain is less important than another and we cannot purely be driven by margins.
Heritage buildings will always demand a more intricate and collaborative approach than standard developments, but the challenges they present are far from insurmountable when the right preparation, expertise and mindset are in place. By embracing early engagement, defining the Golden Thread from day one, and valuing the insight of specialists, the industry can move from reactive problem-solving to proactive risk management. Collectively we can deliver heritage renovations that are not only compliant and safe, but also respectful, resilient and built to stand the test of time.