Landlord fined for inadequate fire precautions

A landlord was sentenced to a fine of £135,000 and ordered to pay £23,000 costs for breaching fire safety regulations when he appeared at Exeter Crown Court on 29th March 2011.

The former owner of the property in Ilfracombe pleaded guilty to four offences under the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
On 14th February 2008 a fire occurred at the premises which was sub divided into flats up to four stories high. The fire, which started on the ground floor, spread throughout the building, in total 13 persons escaped with difficulty to safety
Devon & Somerset Fire & Rescue Service subsequently carried out a fire safety audit and discovered that fire safety precautions were inadequate.
If you require formal or informal advice on fire safety then please call us.

South West Built Environment Awards

We are please to announce that the following projects have been shortlisted for this year’s South West Built Environment Awards.  Oculus Building Consultancy as Approved Inspectors have been involved in supporting the client, the design team and the contractor in achieving the high standards required.

1. Minehead Community Hospital designed by DK Architects and constructed by Laing O’Rourke.

2. Tyntesfield House a National Trust conservation project completed by CS Williams and Architects   
    Rodney Melville + Partners

3. Bridgewater College Energy Skills Centre designed by DK Architects and constructed by Kier Western.

The categories for the short listing included heritage, health & safety, integration and collaborative working and value.

Further details of the awards and other nominees can be found on the awards website at http://www.buildsw.org.uk/awards

BS 6180:2011 - Barriers in and about building

In our post dated 27th January 2011 we highlighted the issues concerning glass balustrades and the need for handrails. The new British Standard has now been completely revised and has addressed this issue.


The standard now provides the following guidance on free-standing glass protective barrier.

‘In this type of barrier, the glass should be designed to withstand the design loads. Each glass plate should be clamped to the structure along its bottom edge, the handrail attached to the top edge of the glass and there should be no balusters. In the event that a free-standing barrier is supplied without a handrail, each panel should be able to withstand the appropriate design load'.

CO2 comparison savings

When making energy efficiency decisions at the early stages of the design it is often difficult to realise the balance between installation and running costs. The following figures are rough comparisons of savings from base CO2 calculation emissions versus project costs when considering energy efficiency in new build non-domestic buildings. The figures are taken from British Constructional Steel Association Target Zero project, based on a retail building and are approximate.


High efficiency lighting:                 possible CO2 savings = 22%                 
                                                           project cost = 0.27%

Motion sensing controls:              possible CO2 savings = 4%                   
                                                           project cost = 0.08%

Efficient ventilation:                         possible CO2 savings = 2.37%              
                                                            project cost = 0.06%

Reverse cycle air source              
heat pumps:                                     possible CO2 savings = 5%                   
                                                            project cost = 0.25%

Photovoltaics:                                   possible CO2 savings = 14.41%            
                                                            project cost = 10.44%

Wind turbine (330kw):                     possible CO2 savings = 27%                 
                                                             project cost = 4.24%

Improved Chiller efficiency:            possible CO2 savings = 4.56%               
                                                             project cost = 0.3%