The building at 20 Fenchurch Street, designed by Uruguayan architect Rafael Vinoly, is known as the Walkie Talkie because of its bulging shape. Its unusual shape and speed of construction 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.
Sharpfibre project manager Mark King said: “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.
“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 one floor per week.”
Got a story? Email news@theconstructionindex.co.uk
