Angel has a large number of converted Georgian and Victorian buildings subdivided into flats, purpose-built residential blocks, and mixed-use buildings with commercial ground floors. In all these building types, fire compartmentation between occupancies is critical for resident safety.
Our surveyors assess compartmentation throughout Angel's multi-occupancy buildings, identifying breaches in fire-separating elements, deficient fire doors and inadequate fire stopping. We provide clear, prioritised remediation recommendations that help building owners comply with their fire safety obligations.
Compartmentation review of Georgian and Victorian buildings converted to flats, where original timber construction may provide inadequate fire separation without proper upgrading.
Assessment of fire compartmentation in purpose-built residential blocks, checking party walls, floors, service penetrations and communal area fire barriers.
Review of fire separation between commercial ground floors and residential upper floors in Angel's mixed-use buildings, a critical fire safety interface.
Condition survey of fire doors throughout communal areas, checking certification, intumescent strips, self-closers and frame integrity.
Many Georgian and Victorian buildings in Angel were converted to flats without adequate fire separation between units. Original timber floors and lath-and-plaster walls may provide only minutes of fire resistance without proper upgrading.
Buildings with commercial ground floors such as restaurants or shops and residential above require robust fire separation at the commercial-residential interface. Cooking, storage and different occupancy patterns create additional fire risks.
We inspect fire-separating walls and floors, check fire doors, assess fire stopping around service penetrations, and use targeted opening-up where necessary to confirm the construction of hidden elements.
We recommend compartmentation surveys at least every five years for multi-occupancy buildings, or whenever significant alteration works are carried out. Higher-risk buildings may need more frequent assessment.