Reducing Fires & Leveraging MMC in Residential Construction
Free Manchester Event – The Beetham Tower, Manchester Hilton
Following the disaster at Grenfell and the numerous balcony fires that have happened during recent years, we have been working with a number of highly respected leaders in the industry to try and improve fire safety. At this Manchester Event we aimed to drive change to the British Standards, fire regulation and increase fire awareness.
The theme for the event was Reducing Fires & Leveraging MMC in Multi Occupancy Residential Construction. The event started with an industry leadership roundtable panel discussing key direction for the future from 8:00AM-10:30AM.
When: 23rd October 2019
Where: 23rd Floor/1st Floor, The Beetham Tower, Hilton, 301 Deansgate, Manchester, M3 4LQ
The event was primarily a seminar based event with a number of relevant partner stands and product displays. The day kickstarted with an industry leadership roundtable discussion.
Summary of Roundtable:
Our CPD event in Manchester’s iconic Beetham Tower included two roundtable sessions with industry leaders. One discussing leveraging MMC and the other on reducing fires in multi occupancy residential construction.
At the fire session a key point raised was from the Greater Manchester Fire Rescue Service who felt there should be far more testing of scenarios relative to construction. This is a suggestion made at a previous roundtable and denotes a need in the industry for definitive testing.
Another theme was confusion over the details of the combustible cladding ban and the lack of clarity, a point also raised at previous roundtables. Disparities between quotes, guidance and what the NHBC will approve leaves confusion resulting in delays.
Another point was the need for collaboration within the industry to tackle the challenges we face collectively. While effective collaboration between active and passive fire protection is also key in reducing the risk of fire spread.
At the MMC session, discussion centred around the challenges facing the industry in adopting MMC. The point was raised that 1 in 5 construction workers are over 50, meaning the skills shortage may be exacerbated by their retirement. This is challenge that may be overcome by greater adoption of MMC and a move to more efficient automated processes.
A barrier to adoption of MMC is the industry perception of high up-front costs and investment. While this is the perception the reality is that MMC can not only reduce project costs but by partnering with subcontractors using MMC the benefits can be gained without the expense.
A point raised was that the industry is not adopting MMC early enough in the project to make the most of its benefits. One attendee argued that architects are the biggest components restricting MMC development while others argued a lack of education was the key issue.
An area of consensus was that greater education was needed in BIM and MMC if its full potential is to be reached.
Join a future roundtable
Manchester Event CPD Sessions Included
Driving Cost Out Of Balconies: 10:30 – 45min CPD Presentation – Sapphire
Essentials of Class A Decking CPD: 10:30 – 45min CPD Presentation – MyDek
Passive Fire Protection CPD: 11:30 – 45min CPD Presentation – Quelfire
MMC Made Simple with Digital Tools CPD – 11:30 – 45min CPD Presentation – Dr. Bassi, University of Kent
The New Balcony Standard: BS8579 CPD: 13:00 – 45min CPD Presentation – Sapphire
Balconies: From Fires, To ‘The Ban’ & Beyond: 13:00 – 45min CPD Presentation – Sapphire
Balcony Fire CPD: 14:30 – 45min CPD Presentation – Sapphire
Open state & full-fill cavity barriers CPD: 15:30 – 45min CPD Presentation – Siderise
