Innovative Fire Protection for London's New 'Walkie Talkie' Skyscraper

The city of London is welcoming a new addition to its skyline, as the opening of 20 Fenchurch Street moves a step closer.

The unique looking building, known as the 'Walkie Talkie' thanks to its bulging shape, was the brainchild of Uruguayan architect Rafael Vinoly.

The unusual shape and speed of the building's completion presented a unique set of challenges for Sharpfibre, the company responsible for the application of passive fire protection.

These included the requirement for structural steel protection to 90 and 120 minutes, as well as an extremely demanding build programme.

The fire protection system needed to take into account logistics, speed of application and stringent environmental controls.

Sharpfibre project manager Mark King said:

"To combat these challenges, we installed a specially built mixing station complete with riser pipes."

"The mixing station enabled the installation team to pump cementitious fire spray to the whole building from a single location."

Mr. King added:

"The plan has worked, and we were able to apply the fire protection system to the 37 storey Walkie Talkie building at a rate of 1 floor per week."

"The building is a fantastic addition to London's skyline and we're delighted to have been part of the project."

The second stage of the project is due for completion in March 2013. For more information on Sharpfibre's role in this project, please see this blog post.