BUILDING SAFETY


Fire safety and property investment: the hidden costs developers can’t ignore


E


Brad Crisp, commercial & specification manager at Sertus, explores how property develop- ers and contractors can mitigate hidden fire safety costs, by addressing concerns during the early planning stages


very building project involves the coordination of a huge number of decisions, skills, people and timelines. It can be easy to think of fire safety as just one of a long list of things to tick off. Taking a delayed


or inconsistent approach to fire safety can lead to significant problems in property development. And those problems come in the shape of time and money. From the point of view of property developers, asset owners, contractors and engineers alike, there are clear benefits to including life safety measures from the earliest stages of planning. These span a range of different areas, from commercial to practical, and can make a big difference in delivering a build on time and on budget.


Risks to core development & construction


Many strategic design decisions will have an impact on fire safety, including building height, layout, façade systems and structural materials. These are early-stage decisions and will shape many other decisions as the project progresses. But if key design decisions are taken without considering fire safety and escape strategy, fundamental changes may need to be made once that safety lens is applied at a later point. This can impact every other as-pect of the process. For example, if fire compartmentation has not been properly consid-ered, or allowances for the smoke ventilation is not included, key aspects of layout may have to be entirely re-worked.


When it comes to insurances, as well as in the cases where a project requires financing, early- stage fire safety planning can help to reassure lenders and insurers that all precau-tionary and regulatory measures are in place. This is particularly pertinent for residential and high- rise schemes.


Construction stage fire risk should also not be ignored, as partially completed buildings can


be vulnerable due to temporary electrics and exposed materials. A comprehensive safety strategy could protect developments before completion, as well as after.


Mounting costs to redesign


The worst offenders for spiralling costs are, of course, late-stage design changes. And the later this happens in the process, the higher those costs usually end up being. Up to, and including, having to disassemble completed work and start again. When layouts, stair cores, façade materials and services routes don’t meet safety regula- tions, the knock-on effects to design are wide-reaching. And, of course, every single change that is required will come with a price tag. For example, you might need to completely rip out walls that are already


installed if they are non-compliant for the services penetrating them. Where including fire safety early can enable


architects and designers to be creative with solutions that work within regulations, late- stage safety additions can often interfere with planned design features. Having to add fire stopping, compartmentation or smoke control systems can add cost, while also diminishing design impact in some cases. According to GOV.UK, costs for fire safety


remediation work can scale extremely quickly with the following figures quoted as a rough estimate:


• Minor fire strategy and design tweaks - £10,000 - £30,000


• Moderate redesigns, including system or layout changes - £30,000 - £150,000


• Late construction rework - £100,000 - £500,000+


Common fire safety problem areas that cause costs to increase:


Compartmentation and fire stopping: when these areas are ignored, there is clear risk to life from rapid smoke and fire spread. It might be that these are considered thoroughly at one stage of the project, but then ignored at another, for example when pipework, ducts or cabling compromises fire-rated walls and floors.


Façade and external wall compliance: this can be an incredibly costly aspect to resolve or change if fire safety has not been central to decision making about cladding, insulation and cavity barriers. This is not only in the specification phase, but also in the installation phase, where missing cavity barriers or incorrect installation can require significant work to reme-dy.


Alarm, detection, smoke control, and suppression systems: when considered early, it is pos-sible to ensure that these are integrated into building services. It is vital that these life safety systems are designed for and installed in the building with long-term safety as a focus, which includes access for regular testing and maintenance.


Regulatory and approval risks


With ever-increasing scrutiny on meeting safety standards, modern building safety proto-cols require detailed design evidence before construction can proceed, as well as demon- stration of compliance at multiple stages along the way. When design records are vague,


16 BUILDING SERVICES & ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEER AUGUST 2026 Read the latest at: www.bsee.co.uk


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38