Westgate point – Westgate, Leeds LS1 2AX
PROJECT
Westgate Point is a landmark 1980s eight-storey building located on an island site about half a mile northwest of Leeds train station on the edge of the traditional office district. The refurbishment project includes transforming an outdated and underused space into a stylish and modern student house building. The internal core of the building and the façade will remain the same, while an internal compartmentation will be installed to create small flats for student use. The existing car park on the ground floor will be transformed into a communal area for students where they can study, share meals and create a student community environment.
CHALLEGES
The structure of the building is composed of steel elements protected by unknown coating materials of various types: gypsum-based and fibrous. The main scope of the project was to identify the inherent fire resistance of the structure and evaluate if the existing structural fire protection could have been retained.
SOLUTIONS
The IDF team visited the site to assess the current state of the fire protection system by conducting mechanical fire tests and chemical analysis. Based on the data and results obtained, they were able to use a thermal modelling approach to determine the current structural fire resistance rating and confirm the effectiveness of the fire protection measures in place.
