Passive Fire Protection Works The Howard de Walden Estate, Marylebone

Ark uses a zoned approach to separate public and tenant circulation routes, landlord-controlled back-of-house areas and active work zones. Intrusive or noisy activities are scheduled outside the affected occupier’s busiest periods and, where required, completed overnight. Tenant notifications, appointments, return visits and out-of-hours access are managed directly, with non-response escalated through the property manager. This gives the Estate a single, accountable point of control while allowing each business to plan around the works.

Central London logistics require detailed preparation. Deliveries are coordinated around Marylebone’s traffic, loading and parking restrictions, with materials and access equipment scheduled to suit each property’s available space. Daily planning helps avoid aborted visits, limits obstruction to neighbouring businesses and keeps public routes safe.

The Estate contains more than 300 Grade II and Grade II* listed buildings. Ark prioritises retaining and upgrading suitable existing doors, preserving original frames and architraves while introducing discreet fire and smoke seals, compliant vision panels and sympathetic ironmongery. Where standard details require adaptation, the proposed solution is recorded in a Technical Departure Log and coordinated through the Estate’s Heritage Partnership Agreement with Westminster City Council and the relevant Building Control stakeholders. Bespoke packers and adjustable hinges have also enabled compliant door gaps to be achieved where historic movement or tolerance variation is present, avoiding unnecessary loss of original fabric.

Quality and programme performance are managed through Onetrace, giving the Estate real-time visibility across multiple properties and workstreams. Operatives record calibrated gap measurements, photographic evidence before, during and after the work, penetration tags, product details and certification. Supervisor sign-off at Inspection and Test Plan hold points, supported by random audits, provides a consistent and traceable standard across a varied estate.