Protecting Buildings

We carry out fire risk appraisals of external wall construction in accordance with PAS 9980:2022. Our assessments provide a holistic, risk-based approach to evaluating the fire risk posed by external wall systems, moving beyond the binary pass/fail approach of earlier assessment methods.

PAS 9980 assessments consider the entire external wall system including cladding panels, insulation, cavity barriers, fire stopping, and fixings. Our assessors evaluate the likelihood of fire spread, the consequences for occupants, and the effectiveness of existing fire safety measures to arrive at a proportionate risk rating.

This approach helps building owners avoid unnecessary and costly remediation works by identifying which buildings genuinely require intervention and which can be managed through alternative risk mitigation measures.

Our qualified professionals undertake EWS1 (External Wall System Fire Review) assessments for residential buildings. We help building owners and leaseholders obtain the necessary documentation for mortgage and insurance purposes.

The EWS1 form was developed by RICS, UK Finance, the Building Societies Association, and MHCLG to provide a consistent approach to assessing external wall fire risk. Our assessors hold the necessary qualifications and professional indemnity insurance to sign EWS1 forms, providing building owners and leaseholders with the documentation needed to support property transactions.

We understand the urgency of EWS1 assessments for homeowners affected by the cladding crisis and aim to deliver our reports within agreed timescales to minimise disruption to property sales and remortgage applications.

We provide detailed assessments of external wall systems to identify potential fire risks and recommend appropriate remediation measures. Our team has extensive experience with a wide range of cladding systems and building types including ACM, HPL, render, brick slip, timber, and composite panel systems.

Our assessments include desktop reviews of available construction documentation, visual inspections, and where necessary, intrusive investigations to determine the composition and condition of external wall construction. We use our findings to produce clear, evidence-based reports with prioritised recommendations.

We work with building owners, managing agents, local authorities, and social housing providers to develop proportionate remediation strategies that address identified risks while minimising cost and disruption to residents.

We support building owners through the entire cladding remediation process, from initial assessment and options appraisal through to specification, procurement, and completion. Our team has experience of managing remediation projects on buildings of all sizes and construction types.

We prepare detailed remediation specifications and provide technical input during the procurement process to ensure that proposed remediation works will achieve compliance with current standards. During the construction phase, we carry out inspections to verify that works are being carried out in accordance with the approved specification.

We also assist building owners with applications to the Building Safety Fund, Cladding Safety Scheme, and other government-funded remediation programmes, helping to secure funding for essential fire safety works.

The Building Safety Act 2022 introduced significant new requirements for higher-risk buildings, including mandatory registration, safety case preparation, and ongoing safety management. Our team helps building owners understand and comply with these new obligations.

We assist with the preparation of safety case reports for higher-risk buildings, working with the principal accountable person and building safety manager to develop comprehensive safety management systems. Our safety cases address structural safety, fire safety, and the spread of fire, providing the Building Safety Regulator with the evidence needed to grant registration.

We also provide ongoing advisory support to help building owners maintain compliance with the Building Safety Act as the regulatory landscape continues to evolve, including the preparation of mandatory occurrence reports and resident engagement strategies.

Where desktop assessments and visual inspections are insufficient to determine the composition of external wall construction, we carry out targeted intrusive investigations to gather physical evidence of the materials and construction methods used.

Our intrusive investigations are carefully planned to minimise damage to the building fabric while providing representative samples of the external wall build-up. We use a combination of opening-up works, core sampling, and laboratory testing to identify cladding materials, insulation types, cavity barrier presence, and fire stopping adequacy.

All intrusive investigation works are carried out in accordance with PAS 9980 guidance and are supervised by experienced fire engineers who can interpret findings in the context of the overall fire risk assessment.