Fire sprinkler boxing – Encasement’s cost effective finish
With the Regulator of Social Housing reporting in January that social housing providers spent £8.8 billion during the year to March 2024, which included fire remediation, cost effectiveness is a key consideration while also ensuring that quality and safety are not compromised. We look at the cost benefits of pre-formed sprinkler boxing solutions.
As fire sprinklers need to be located within individual flats and communal areas to suppress fires and aid escape, the process of incorporating them in new builds is comparatively simple, as they can be integrated at the building design stage and pipework can be hidden within wall cavities or ceiling voids.
For retrofitted sprinkler installations, however, it’s not as straightforward, as in most cases the pipework will need to be surface mounted. Once a sprinkler system is installed, the pipework needs to be concealed to cover sprinkler system components and act as a visible barrier to potential tampering. It also provides a more aesthetic finish and can help avoid potential tenant complaints.
Cover up
Surface mounted pipework, however, does improve the simplicity and speed with which it can be installed by skilled contractors. Clearly, the fitting of pipe boxing also needs to be quick and easy to ensure all associated costs are effectively managed.
Pre-formed and pre-finished boxing solutions, such as Encasement’s Versa pipe & fire sprinkler boxing, are increasingly specified by sprinkler contractors and installers, as they provide a simple and practical solution for sprinkler pipework, usually at high level. Versa ‘L’ shaped boxing is manufactured, from 5mm or 8mm thick UKTR compliant plywood and is available in a range of sizes and profiles to meet various sprinkler pipework configurations.
A range of dedicated accessories is also incorporated as part of the Encasement system, including internal and external corners, as well as stop ends, fixing battens, screws and caps. These help create an integrated and consistent finish within each flat whilst also simplifying the sprinkler installation project.
Time and cost benefits
Experience of working with contractors across the UK on countless social housing projects where pipework needs to be concealed, has shown that Versa pipe and fire sprinkler boxing can typically be fitted in less than half the time of site made alternatives. In addition, as it is pre-finished there’s no painting required on site, which further helps to save time and cost.
This time saving provides several advantages. For contractors, local authorities and housing associations, fire safety upgrades can be completed within a shorter timescale and also help minimise disruption for tenants while the work is being carried out. Potentially the most important benefit is that costs can be reduced, not by ‘cutting corners’, but by cutting the time taken on the project without compromising the quality or integrity of the installation.
The focus, rightfully, is on improving fire safety in high-rise residential buildings and Versa can contribute to that process, in terms of effectiveness, ease of installation and economics.
