Quelfire - Queens Drive: A Key Example of Collaboration

The Queens Drive regeneration project has been a welcomed initiative of Swindon Borough Council. Addressing the town’s social housing needs, this project has created 149 affordable homes that will act as a gateway to the town, providing a more welcoming drive into the town centre. 

This £36 million project has been designed to reflect Swindon’s railway heritage. The houses have solar panels, triple-glazed windows, dozens of bird boxes, and trees planted to encourage wildlife growth. 

The LABC (Local Authority Building Control) recognised Queens Drive in the National Building Excellence Awards as the best large social housing development. 

As the chosen passive fire protection system manufacturer, Quelfire worked alongside Willmott Dixon and Fire Shield to deliver this project. The main objective was to design and build the homes around the tested details available, creating a safe community for residents to reside in.

During this project, what was the main challenge?

Queens Drive’s main challenge was utilising service penetration types with limited industry-wide testing, such as electrical socket boxes in conjunction with the innovative Beadmaster product.

What solutions did Quelfire reach to resolve any issues?

The key to Queens Drive’s smooth completion was the involvement of the Willmott Dixon design team, which proactively designed and planned the build, ensuring service penetration sealing was a priority.

Acknowledging that early engagement has been crucial in past projects, Willmott Dixon and Fire Shield initiated this approach right from the early stages. This ensured that Quelfire addressed any service penetration sealing concerns during the design process, guaranteeing that relevant, tested solutions were identified, and grey areas were avoided.

Because of the time Quelfire gained from the early collaboration, in the case of no tested solutions for electrical socket boxes with Beadmaster, the company was able to add this to their testing programme upon request from Willmott Dixon. Because of this scenario-specific testing, Quelfire were able to provide Queens Drive and the wider industry with primary test evidence, as opposed to an engineered judgment. 

What kind of success did the client enjoy with Quelfire's services/products?

Queens Drive is proof of the success collaboration and communication between all stakeholders can bring. Through their early engagement and shared commitment to the project’s success, Quelfire were able to reach a robust and compliant design, resulting in minimal issues and rework during the build stage and, ultimately, no extra costs. 

The approach of those involved in the project not only streamlined its progress but also demonstrated our adherence to industry regulations, making each party a vital part of this success story.

Quelfire has been an ally to Fire Shield for many years, specifically myself, regarding the enormous support we receive. We appreciate this ongoing support from the training, CPDs, and videos Quelfire offers to ensure we can find suitable answers from project to project. Queens Drive is a testament to this. - Robert England, Senior Project Manager, Fire Shield

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