{"id":531847,"date":"2025-10-29T12:45:42","date_gmt":"2025-10-29T12:45:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/?p=531847"},"modified":"2025-11-03T14:28:11","modified_gmt":"2025-11-03T14:28:11","slug":"lfb-calls-for-individual-fire-safety-tests-on-modular-projects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.constructionnews.co.uk\/buildings\/building-safety\/lfb-calls-for-individual-fire-safety-tests-on-modular-projects-29-10-2025\/","title":{"rendered":"LFB calls for individual fire safety tests on modular projects"},"content":{"rendered":"

The London Fire Brigade has called on developers to carry out fire safety tests on all modular construction projects before they are completed.<\/p>\n

The \u201cvery bespoke nature\u201d of modular structures means each one should have an individual fire test “to enable full understanding of the performance of the structure when subject to heating and cooling as a result of a fire incident”, the fire service said in an 11-page report.<\/p>\n

But Dirk Vennix, executive director of modular industry body Buildoffsite, warned a specific testing regime would \u201cadd major cost and longer timeframes\u201d to offsite construction projects. The LFB said completing this work early rather than during the building regulation process could save a “significant amount of time and money”, a spokesperson told\u00a0Construction News.<\/em><\/p>\n

The LFB said this scrutiny is needed because existing modular projects do \u201cnot necessarily set a precedent for future projects due to their very bespoke nature\u201d, the report added.<\/p>\n

The fire service also called for all proposals for modular systems to come with \u201caccurate detail\u201d on the modular system\u2019s composition, how modules will interconnect with each other, and how they will connect to other materials such as stair cores.<\/p>\n

The complexity of modular projects also might make it \u201csignificantly\u201d harder to safely use alternative fire-safety designs that differ from those recommended in the official Approved Document B guidance on fire safety, the LFB said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is [\u2026] the LFB\u2019s experience that a number of projects utilising modern methods of construction [MMC] have not fully recognised or addressed the need to demonstrate the performance of the design in regard to fire,\u201d it added in the report.<\/p>\n

It also warned of an \u201cinconsistent approach\u201d in the level of detail provided to demonstrate a modular design\u2019s compliance with Building Regulations, and pointed to a \u201clack of industry guidance\u201d to steer design teams and regulators towards best practice.<\/p>\n

The LFB\u2019s report called for fire engineers to be appointed on all modular projects to assess the impact of fire on the structure. It \u201cmay be necessary\u201d to test individual connectors within structures, plus fire stoppings and linings \u201cto the point of failure\u201d to prove the level of resilience within the building.<\/p>\n

Fire risk assessments for completed projects should also refer explicitly to the \u201cconstruction typology\u201d, and that information should be transferred to the responsible person under the Building Safety Act.<\/p>\n

But Vennix told Construction News<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>not all modular projects are bespoke and that relevant information from completed projects should be available to \u201cinform future design processes”.<\/p>\n

He also warned that there would not be enough testing facilities to meet the demand.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs a result, significant delays in pipeline and construction would be expected which is the last thing our members want given they have the capacity to help deliver commercial projects and build 1.5 million homes<\/a>,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The LFB is not the first organisation to call for more detail on modular construction and fire safety.<\/p>\n

Three years ago<\/a>, the National Fire Chiefs Council \u2500 of which the LFB is a member \u2500 called for the introduction of specific safety regulations and legislation relating to MMC, and for it to be specifically addressed under the Building Safety Act.<\/p>\n

And two reports last year called for more research into the fire-safety performance of volumetric modular<\/a> construction.<\/p>\n

CN <\/em>approached the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government \u2500 which is responsible for building safety and fire policy \u2500 for comment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The London Fire Brigade has called on developers to carry out fire safety tests on all modular construction projects before they are completed. The \u201cvery bespoke nature\u201d of modular structures means each one should have an individual fire test “to enable full understanding of the performance of the structure when subject to heating and cooling …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":90643,"featured_media":494433,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ep_exclude_from_search":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[79552,547,39315],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-531847","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-building-safety","category-buildings","category-offsite-mmc","issue-online-news"],"yoast_head":"\nLFB calls for individual fire safety tests on modular projects | Construction News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The London Fire Brigade has called on developers to carry out fire safety tests on all modular construction projects before they are completed. 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