Building for Life - Discover the Moral, Commercial and Financial Benefits of Installing Sprinklers
If you are associated with the building industry as a developer, builder, architect etc. please read this section of your consumer awareness guide very carefully. It really is important! You could end up saving lives based on the decisions you make as a result of the fifteen minutes you are investing in reading this report.
You can enjoy a wide range of benefits due to your increased awareness of the many uses of residential sprinklers. I have summarised below some of the key information that will be most useful for you.
Saving lives in the home: 449 people died in their homes last year. No one has died in a home in the UK where a sprinkler system was fitted - not one? not ever! The 24-hour-a-day firefighter keeps them safe. Each time you decide to install a sprinkler into a development you are potentially saving heartache and heartbreak for some family. Buyers of new homes want to know that they and their young families are safe in their new home. You can make that happen.
Saving property in the home: Based on nearly two decades of research it has been proved that property damage in non sprinklered properties is ten times that of property in sprinklered properties. That is a great differentiator when you are selling new developments.
Socially conscious builders and developers: Social entrepreneurship is a major trend in commerce. The reason this is happening is because more and more people are concerned about broader issues.
Commercial organisations that position themselves as being leaders in this field will build a unique competitive advantage for themselves. Just think of the seatbelt promotions for cars. Fire sprinklers are an economic way to increase the desirability of new homes and enhance the builder's reputation for quality construction and social awareness.
Seven benefits for new developments or subdivisions
If you are involved in a new development or subdivision, there are seven important advantages of sprinklers you might want to consider:
- Street Width Reduction: Traffic lanes can sometimes be narrower which can increase your development flexibility.
- Longer Dead-end Streets: Dead-end streets may be increased in length. This can allow additional building lots to be accessed.
- Tee Turnarounds Permitted: The permitted use of tee turnarounds in sprinklered developments can create at least one additional cul-de-sac.
- Increased Street Grades and Building Setbacks: Steeper street grades and building locations further from paved fire vehicle access may be permitted.
- Additional Units Permitted: The percentage will vary but 10% to 20% are not uncommon.
- Expansion of Existing Water Supply May Not be Needed: Required water flows to fully sprinklered developments can be greatly reduced compared to not-sprinklered developments.
- Increased Hydrant Spacing: Supply mains may be reduced and hydrant spacing may be increased.
Heritage and Sprinklers: Fires are perhaps the greatest risk which faces those responsible for safeguarding heritage buildings. It is estimated that a building of major national importance is lost or damaged by fire each week in the UK. Fire is the only threat that can destroy a building and its artefacts absolutely!
Following the Windsor Castle fire, Sir Alan Bailey chaired an enquiry that concluded sprinklers could play an important and useful role in the protection of our heritage buildings. It was recognised that traditional measures such as compartmentation were difficult in these buildings. The flexibility of sprinklers would allow an architect to bring a building to life and still meet current fire safety standards - without major reconstruction.
An innovative solution to gaining planning permission: Many owners and developers of listed building have planning permission rejected because they don't meet fire safety requirements. To comply with these safety standards often requires expensive compartmentation, fire doors and obtrusive ladders and fire walls.
An alternative way forward for many people is to use a combined fire detection and sprinkler system. This can leave the owners safe in the knowledge that they are fully protected and still take advantage or their ideal design specifications.
Timber framed developments and limited access: A recent development in Bedford involved the design of three blocks of timber framed luxury apartments. Access was restricted due to a river on one side and weight restrictions on the other. Initial planning permission was refused because of safety concerns.
After evaluating the option of an expensive dry riser system and residential automatic sprinklers, the developers opted for the less expensive but more effective sprinkler system.
Developments in remote areas: A housing association development in Peterborough ran into planning difficulties due to concerns regarding the narrow access route to the houses. After evaluating the implications of widening the access road, redeveloping the cycle path on the other side of the road or installing automatic residential sprinklers, the sprinkler solution was the obvious choice.
Saving 'the light' in Leeds: 'the light' is a large retail and commercial complex in the centre of Leeds. The development incorporates a number of listed buildings and provides shops, cinema, health club, night club and a hotel. The escape of occupants from high levels in the cinema, bars, restaurants and hotel were a real concern. Traditional design would have suggested this was unsatisfactory in terms of fire safety.
The use of fast response sprinklers not only reduced the cost but also improved the safety element. Compartmentation requirements were reduced from 120 min to 60 min in many areas. The original features of the listed buildings were retained and Leeds benefited from an innovative and safe retail and commercial complex.
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