The Didsbury is another example of Newham Council’s plans to provide quality residential spaces in the form of both private rental and homes for the London Affordable Rent scheme. Designed by dRMM Architects, the development features a total of 148 apartments, ranging from 1 to 3 bedrooms, with private outdoor spaces and communal gardens.

Populo Homes engaged Bugler Developments Ltd to act as main contractor & the smoke ventilation system was provided by Vent Engineering. To meet the combined requirements of Approved Document B and Approved Document K, Vent Engineering selected FIEGER Louvre Windows. A total of 72 no. FIEGER FLW 32 SmoTec vents were installed across the facades to the main stairs and lobbies. A further 12 no. FIEGER FLW 32 vents were fitted at the top level, with the louvres fixed closed, to provide a complementary architectural feature.

Each vent comprises double-glazed louvres, using toughened and laminated glass and provides a minimum geometric free area of 1.5 m2 , as required by The Building Regulations.

The vents were each fitted with D+H LDF 100-70 24V DC motors, programmed for anti-trapping, which were wired to the control system installed by Vent Engineering, using bespoke control panels, interfaced with the smoke detectors.

The vent framework was polyester powder coated to RAL 7016 Anthracite Grey to contrast with the adjacent cladding. Typical overall U-values of 1.90 W/m 2 K were achieved, which with a class-leading low air leakage rate to Class 4 of EN 12207 provides a highly energy efficient feature of the installation.

In addition to mandatory testing to EN 12101-2 for natural smoke vents, the FLW 32 vent is also tested to BS 6180: 2011 for barrier loading, providing an additional safety feature, essential for multi-storey residential buildings.

Client: Populo Homes on behalf of Newham Council

Architect: dRMM Architects

Main Contractor: Bugler Developments Ltd

Smoke Control Contractor: Vent Engineering

Photographs: Courtesy of Ken Frakes at Altastate.co