The construction phase of Warringtonfire’s flagship fire resistance testing facility is now complete, with the preparations for the state-of-the-art laboratory now on the final stretch before it officially opens in January 2025.
It is just three months until Warringtonfire, part of the Element Materials Technology group, launches its $30m fire resistance testing laboratory. Located at Birchwood Park in Warrington, the 101,000sqft site was handed over from principal contractors Tilbury Douglas to the testing, inspection and certification (TIC) leaders on 16 September 2024, six weeks ahead of schedule. The official opening is set for 2 January 2025.
During this final phase, Warringtonfire’s team will be focusing on UKAS validation and accreditation for its five furnaces and operations. This process is expected to be completed by the end of November, ensuring that the laboratory is ready to accept test specimens when it opens its doors.
Meanwhile, Warringtonfire’s fire resistance testing team will gradually transition from its Holmesfield Road laboratory as they prepare for the launch. As part of the expansion, 50 new jobs have already been filled, including all maintenance engineers and technical officer positions. The maintenance engineers now form a newly created team of highly skilled experts from diverse backgrounds, ensuring smooth, safe, and reliable operations.
Aligned with its parent company’s ethos of ‘Making Tomorrow Safer Than Today’, the laboratory has been recognised with a Bronze Award and a perfect score of 45 out of 45 under the Considerate Constructors Scheme during its construction. This achievement is due to the energy-efficiency and air quality measures integrated into the build, and the company’s continuing commitment to sustainable operation of the site. Among these initiatives is advanced smoke cleaning technology. For example, the abatement systems clean the smoke to ensure that fumes from the fire testing process have negligible environmental impact. Additionally, the laboratory is prepared to utilise a blend of clean hydrogen and natural gas as soon as the local infrastructure supports it.
Dafydd Llewelyn-Jones, Senior Project Manager for Warringtonfire, has led the construction project since its inception in August 2023. Dafydd said: “It is with great pride and excitement that I can announce our new laboratory is on track to open at the start of next year. As we strive to enhance building safety, the importance of fire testing continues to grow, driven by numerous industry factors that will increase the need for fire testing capacity in the near future.
“Our new laboratory is poised to address this growing demand by tripling the capacity of our current Holmesfield Road site. Furthermore, we have future-proofed our operations with a range of sustainable solutions designed to minimise environmental impact while delivering safety critical services. The facility features integrated recycling systems, advanced smoke and odour capturing and treatment technologies, and energy-efficient ventilation solutions. With these innovations, our new laboratory is set to at the forefront of sustainable fire resistance testing.”
Warringtonfire’s laboratory is meticulously designed with client confidentiality in mind. It features custom-made module spray booths, each with its own temperature-controlled environment, as well as test preparation areas to protect intellectual property. Dedicated client viewing areas are also in place to ensure privacy. In anticipation of the launch, the laboratory is also trialling additional confidentiality measures and has established strict confidentiality workflows to further safeguard sensitive information.
Warringtonfire has made significant investments to enhance value for both clients and employees. The new facility offers ample visitor parking with 175 bays, including 10 disabled bays, and 10 EV charging stations. It also features secure double–tier bike lockups, accessible welfare facilities like shower and locker rooms, five meeting rooms, three conference rooms, and lifts to platform viewing areas.
Dafydd added: “We want both our clients and colleagues to feel truly at home in our facility. It was important for us that the laboratory serves not only as a testing site but also a versatile environment where meetings can be conducted, and where our team can excel.”
Once the Birchwood Park laboratory is fully operational, Warringtonfire’s Holmesfield Road facility will be transformed into a centre of excellence for Reaction to Fire testing, building on the significant investment already made to increase our construction, rail and marine testing services with the introduction of upgraded equipment and expanded capacity for single burning item and roof testing.