First Choice Homes is a housing association in Oldham, UK, with responsibility for around 11,500 properties. They worked with their contractor Casey to replace the external cladding on the multi-storey Littlemoor House.
Challenges
Littlemoor House is an 11-story high-rise building, built in 1962 and fitted with an external refuse chute. First Choice Homes’ contractor Casey was employed to install new exterior cladding to the building. Although the original cladding was not the same system as used in Grenfell, it required replacement to address defects that had been identified. Casey required a specialist in refuse chutes to demolish and replace the original system.
Consultation
Before Casey could install the new stone wool insulation on the exterior of Littlemoor House, they consulted specialist refuse chute company Chute Fire Certification UK. The main task was to demolish and replace the existing chute with minimal disruption to the residents. The new chute design replaced the existing 600mm diameter system, and ensured that every element of the refuse chute system fully complied with all current legislation and standards.
Solution
When Chute Fire Certification UK works with housing associations, they are aware that value for money must be achieved. With this in mind, a bespoke solution was delivered that included the demolition of the existing external chutes and an entirely new chute system, designed and manufactured by Chute Fire Certification UK. The old chute was replaced with a circular stainless-steel chute that is 600mm diameter and 2mm thick, conforming to British Standards. This is paired with hopper doors certified to a 2.5-hour fire rating (BS476: Part 22: 1987). Each hopper door is sealed with an industry-leading 4-hour rated Quelfire sealant. And finally, the building was fitted with the Chute Fire Safe Protection at the chute termination. This two-in-one system provides the ultimate combination in passive fire safety.