London is the UK’s largest student accommodation market, yet the supply of purpose-built student beds continues to lag behind the growth in student numbers. Cole Waterhouse’s First Way Campus aims to plug this gap, providing high-quality accommodation in the heart of the Wembley Park regeneration area in northwest London, close to excellent transport links, shops, restaurants and leisure facilities.
The First Way Campus will house 678 student beds across three towers, alongside 37,000 sq ft of academic and office space for the University College of Football Business which is based at Wembley Stadium.
Promat worked with Bowmer + Kirkland and specialist subcontractor Fire Shield to supply a high-performing passive fire protection system for the development which would meet its tight build programme and deliver the required fire performance.
The design challenges:
The design of the First Way Campus has been optimised for modern methods of construction, featuring central steel building frameworks that pre-fabricated room pods are then slotted into.
The campus combines a number of uses including residential accommodation. With high numbers of people expected to use the buildings day and night, the project required an advanced passive fire protection system for its structural steel skeleton that could provide up to 120 minutes of fire resistance.
The construction challenges:
Speed was a critical factor for the construction of the First Way development with its modular construction aimed to reduce the project’s build timetable. The passive fire protection system needed to be able to fit with this approach.
The installation phase
Promat specified Vermiculux-S – a non-combustible calcium silicate board which can be installed before a building is weathertight, ensuring that there were no delays to the installation of the modular pods. Promat’s range of fire-stopping products were also used for the building’s expansion joints.
120 minutes – Fire protection achieved for the structural steel thanks to Vermiculux-S.
3500m2- Amount of Vermiculux-S board installed on the project .
Partner quotes
“We had a requirement for a material that not only provided fire integrity but could also be left exposed to the elements to fit with our build programme. Promat’s Vermiculux-S ticked all the boxes.”
Bipin Mepani, project manager, Bowmer + Kirkland
“The Promat team has been responsive throughout the installation phase, advising on project details and getting back to us quickly on any questions, often on the same day – something that has been crucial to meet the deadlines on this development. The technical information and certification that Promat has provided is user friendly for our operatives and gave us the detail we needed to comply with the scheme specification.”
Daniel Spedding, project manager, Fire Shield Limited
