Project Introduction

Trellick Tower, a Grade II* listed tower block in North Kensington, is a marvel of Brutalist architecture designed by Ernő Goldfinger. Commissioned in 1972, the tower was intended to replace outdated social housing and featured innovative space-saving designs. Following on from the changes to Building Regulations in the aftermath of Grenfell the residents doors were found to be inadequate and in need of replacement.

Challenges & Solutions

The Fire Door Replacement Programme faced significant hurdles in regards to the buildings Grade II* listed status, Gerda worked in close collaboration with RBKC and planning consultants Litchfield to navigate the complexities of obtaining listed building consent. After months of meticulous planning and design, we successfully implemented a solution that not only met but exceeded building regulations while staying as close as possible to the original door design.

The Contemporary Range Fire doorsets offered the design flexibility the building needed while also offering outstanding Thermal and Acoustic performance in line with the latest building regs (1.8 U-Value and <29db) significantly improving on the energy efficiency and resident comfort.

Project Results

Gerda’s Technical and Contract Management teams collaborated with the building control team for seamless, rapid communication, especially during unique challenges that come up in renovations of historic buildings. In all, Gerda replaced over 180 resident front entrance doors, addressing all necessary fire stopping measures while exceeding expectations to preserve original features. The project also replicated other design elements, all within the original budget.

Conclusion

Ensuring that replacing the doors as legally required to meet fire safety regulations was done sensitively, without causing harm to the fabric of the Grade II* listed building and in keeping with the original Brutalist architecture.

Following 9 months of meticulous planning and design with RBKC and the Trellick Tower Residents Association (TA), we successfully implemented a solution that not only met but exceeded building regulations, while staying as close as possible to the original door design.

With a remit to ensure the purposefully high-quality doors exceeded building regs and matched the existing Brutalist architecture, the multi-performance FD30S Prosper and Lymn style doorsets from the Safer Homes Range were chosen by RBKC, with residents able to select between the glazed (Lymn) or solid (Prosper) designs.