When Strathclyde Fire and Rescue wanted to create a new a training centre comprising of academic rooms, an auditorium and practical training zones, which would include live fire scenarios, it turned to Fitzpatrick for its performance steel doorsets.
Working with Cooper Cromar Architects, Fitzpatrick supplied a total of 325 bespoke doorsets and window shutter units to the project, to meet the strict fire performance and durability requirements.
Strathclyde Fire and Rescue is one of the largest services in Europe, with firefighting crew based in 110 stations and a fleet of 225 emergency vehicles. The new £23m training facility covering 40 acres at Cambuslang will bring all training resources together on one site, offeringspecialised instruction for every emergency, including rail and road crashes, building explosions and blazes in high rise buildings.
The project brief demanded Strathclyde Fire and Rescue to be a world class Fire Training Centre. Therefore, Cooper Cromer Architects andMalcolm Gourley, Project Manager from Lendlease worked alongside Fitzpatrick to create bespoke doorsets and window units that met wide ranging requirements in terms of acoustic and fire performance, security and durability.
External doorsets for the main building consisting of lecture theatres and auditoriums, called for a high degree of acoustic performance to reduce noise from the auditorium. Fitzpatrick’s independently tested range of acoustic doorsets, developed using mineral wool or honeycomb cores, provide effective sound reduction for applications such as this.
Meanwhile, the training buildings where live fire scenarios and practical training sessions will take place needed both internal and external doorsets, in line with strict requirements, in terms of both the durability and heat resistance. Three new bespoke doorsets from Fitzpatrick’s Citadel range were specified for the Fire Training building. Citadel doorsets, as with all Fitzpatrick products, are made to order to meet the project site requirements. The first needed to be robust enough to withstand training personnel demonstrating a forced entry through a locked door. This was achieved with a Yobstopper doorset- a solid, laminated timber-core doorset, which is faced with a steel and removable timber face.Additionally, the doorset features exclusive renewable locking devices and stainless steel surrounds and framing.
The second doorset was formed with the corner notches removed allowing doors to close over a fire hose to retain smoke and exclude daylight, to assist in training procedures. For this purpose, a third type,comprising window units were also developed by Fitzpatrick and Cooper Cromer Architects, that utilise steel doorset and cill sections and include full sized blackout ventilation louvres and air inlet gravity flaps, to eliminate daylight while enabling heat and smoke to be cleared quickly in an emergency. Treated with heat resistant paint the units are resilient to extremely high temperatures present during live fire exercises and are robust and easily maintained by SFR site personnel.
Jeff Howe Architect at Cooper Cromer Architects said: “The great working relationship we had with Fitzpatrick enabled us to develop a range of specialist doorsets and window units that met the wide ranging - and unusual - demands of the project.”
Alex Lane, Strathclyde Fire & Rescue’s Property Manager has been delighted with the success of the project, saying: “Our new Uaill Training Centre has been built to last. While we strived for best value, wealso wanted to ensure we met our high quality standards, with a mind to thelong term life expectancy of the building. I’m pleased to say Fitzpatrick supplied that kind of quality – in terms of build, fit and service.”
Malcolm Gourley Project Manager from Lendlease concludes: “This was a very unique project, which required expert knowledge from everyone involved. The expertise and bespoke design aspects resulted in Strathclyde Fire and Rescue being delighted with the new build.”
