Context
Holland Park School is a high-profile secondary school accommodating approximately 1,400 students, situated on a constrained site in central London. The school required a specialist contractor to manage the removal and replacement of 36 steel door sets and glazed screens across three stair cores within a single building. Working via main contractor CGA, Capital Fire Doors was engaged to deliver a fully certified fire door replacement programme to the school's exacting architectural standards - in a live, partially occupied environment with significant logistical constraints.
Challenge
Replacing 36 fire door sets in a central London school across an occupied building, within a tight summer programme presented a range of operational, logistical, and technical challenges:
Occupied building and safeguarding requirements: Works were carried out in a building that remained partially in use throughout the programme, including by a children's day camp during the summer period. Strict segregation of work areas was required at all times, and all installation personnel were required to hold Enhanced DBS certification.
Central London site constraints: Operating within a restricted urban location made deliveries and materials management particularly challenging. Phased delivery consignments and the use of an underground car park for temporary storage were essential to managing the site efficiently and minimising impact on local residents.
Technical complexity: The presence of underfloor heating systems required a controlled installation method when fixing into the existing floor slab - demanding careful planning and specialist knowledge to protect the building fabric while maintaining full fire certification compliance.
Programme pressure: All manufacturing and delivery milestones needed to align with the school's summer works schedule, leaving no margin for delay across the supply chain or on-site programme.
Solution
Capital Fire Doors, part of Complii, brought early engagement, specialist expertise, and rigorous planning to every stage of the project:
Collaborative specification development: Working closely with both the client and main contractor CGA, CFD developed an appropriate specification from the outset - including the provision of sample door finishes and a fully detailed door and ironmongery schedule for review and approval. A prototype doorset was manufactured and installed on-site for client sign-off before the full scope was formally awarded.
Specialist manufacture and quality assurance: Given the high architectural standards of the school, a specialist manufacturer was selected to supply fully pre-finished, pre-hung door sets, ensuring BM TRADA fire certification was maintained throughout and the finished product met both the functional and aesthetic requirements of the building.
Phased, stair-core-by-stair-core installation: Works were programmed across three phases, with each phase corresponding to a single stair core. This ensured that each core was occupied only by CFD operatives during installation, removing any risk to other building users. Deliveries were phased across four consignments to minimise disruption on the constrained site, and the underground car park was utilised for secure interim storage.
Comprehensive health and safety management: Detailed risk assessments and method statements were prepared and approved by the client prior to works commencing. Work area segregation, controlled access, and DBS-certified personnel ensured full safeguarding compliance throughout.
Results
The project was completed on time, within budget, and without incident, delivering full fire safety compliance in one of London's most architecturally demanding school environments:
Full fire safety compliance achieved: 36 BM TRADA-certified fire-rated timber door sets and glazed screens were successfully installed across three stair cores, replacing condemned steel units and bringing the building's fire safety provisions fully up to the required standard.
Zero disruption to building occupants: The phased, core-by-core programme ensured the building remained safe and operational throughout, with no impact on the day camp or other users present during the summer works period.
Complex environment, seamlessly managed: Despite the technical, logistical, and safeguarding demands of the project, every milestone was met - demonstrating Capital Fire Doors' capability to deliver in constrained, high-profile, and occupied environments.