“The ground-breaking Wembley Park 16m regeneration project is the first to install Project Fire’s newly developed CPVC flow-switch testing device for residential sprinkler systems.”
The Wembley Park regeneration project in North West London covers a colossal 85 acres and includes the SSE Arena Wembley, 7,000 new homes, 8,640 new jobs, 7 acres of parkland and communal sky gardens. The residential spaces are designed to be multi-purpose where living, working, playing and entertainment are part and parcel of the urban community. The newly built high-rise complexes have been purposeful designed to enhance social value, creating a vibrant, sustainable and social neighbourhood.
110 of Project Fire’s residential Zonecheck’s, a compact CPVC flow-switch testing device, were installed across E03 and E05 residential areas. E03, or Canada Gardens, includes 750 new homes, 25% of which are affordable housing. The complex is home to the tallest building in Wembley Park, which includes a super lobby, communal residential lounge and rooftop garden, where residents can enjoy allotments and play areas for children. E05 has 458 new build apartments with 25% specifically built for families, the largest number in Wembley Park. The project includes coffee bars, sofa areas, shared kitchens, dining areas, work pods and sun terraces.
All buildings within E03 and E05 are connected via ground level communal gardens and employment spaces. Shared areas and multi-purpose residential buildings are part of the wider Wembley regeneration master plan to create inclusive and close-knit communities across Wembley Park.
J&J Fire Engineering have an impressive resume of working on projects with a strong focus on sustainability, most notably their recent work on IKEA’s Greenwich BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ store, and their part in the Wembley Park regeneration is no different. Adam West, Director of J&J Fire Engineering said:
“When the development of Wembley Park is completed, it will create a truly impressive statement on the London skyline. We are hugely proud to be playing a large part across several sites on what is a worldwide renowned and historical location around the stadium. It has been very enjoyable working with Project Fire on the Quebec project in particular, where working in tandem, we have implemented a bespoke Zonecheck arrangement that comes complete with pressure reducing and non-return valves on every single floor. This set up provides a hugely simplified and unintrusive method to carrying out routine testing and maintenance, with the added benefits of saving water and not impacting the main fire pumps.”
The mixed-use developments in E03 and E05 include wet and dry risers, water supplies, commercial sprinkler and ordinary hazard systems as well as residential sprinklers. The 110 residential Zonechecks are installed throughout the risers to enable remote flow-switch testing on each floor with no disruption to tenants.
Our development team designed this latest product to provide a low cost and easy-to-use solution for residential properties that overcomes the typical space restraints associated with these types of buildings. Zonecheck Residential is a compact, CPVC version of our commercial Zonecheck saving 100% of the water normally discharged to waste.
“Products installed as a part of residential sprinkler systems are currently not subject to the strict approvals that are needed to install products in commercial systems. This didn’t sit right with us, so we took it on ourselves to seek approval to ensure that our newest product is not only innovative, but also compliant.
It is currently the only certified residential sprinkler product of its kind on the market and provides flow-switch testing at a flick of a switch enabling easy compliance with maintenance requirements detailed in BS 9251. After the success of Zonecheck Residential launch, Project Fire is currently developing several other products, which are purposefully designed for the residential market.
“As a company our goal is develop solutions that enable compliance with fire codes as easy and efficient as possible. It felt like a natural transition to also make residential sprinkler products that help owners, contractors and architects create modern living spaces that are not just ground-breaking in design but safe too.”