Fire-rated curtain wall design is the engineering of facade systems that resist or limit the spread of fire for a defined period. Sovereign Facade Engineering Consultants Ltd designs fire-rated glazing and curtain wall assemblies to Approved Document B and produces the facade documentation that supports Building Safety Act Gateway 2 submissions for higher-risk buildings.
Fire-rated curtain wall design covers facade systems where the envelope must resist or limit the spread of fire. This is among the most closely examined areas of facade engineering for higher-risk buildings under the Building Safety Act 2022. Sovereign provides the design, detailing, and documentation needed to demonstrate fire performance and to support Building Safety Act and Gateway 2 submissions.
What Fire-Rated Curtain Wall Design Involves
Fire-rated System Design
Fire-rated system design for curtain wall and glazing assemblies required to provide integrity and insulation performance to the relevant fire resistance period.
Compartmentation and Fire-stopping Design
Compartmentation and fire-stopping design, including perimeter fire barriers, the floor-to-facade junction, and detailing that maintains compartmentation across the facade.
Building Safety Act
Building Safety Act documentation: facade fire-performance evidence to support Gateway 2 submissions for higher-risk buildings.
Compliance Review
Compliance review, assessing existing or proposed facade designs against the fire requirements of Approved Document B.
Standards & Experience
Fire-rated facade design at Sovereign follows Approved Document B of the UK Building Regulations and the Building Safety Act 2022, supported by the relevant test and classification standards for fire resistance and reaction to fire. The work aligns with the CWCT framework for building envelopes and with the evidence requirements of the Gateway 2 process for higher-risk buildings.
This service is essential for developers and contractors delivering higher-risk residential buildings, architects designing buildings where the facade has a fire-resistance requirement, and specialist contractors who need fire-performance design and documentation to support a Building Safety Act submission.
Our team's fire-rated facade experience, delivered through our associated facade production company, includes one of the largest fire-rated stadium facades in the Gulf at 9,500 m², alongside fire-rated curtain wall packages for working hospitals.
Working on a building with fire-rated facade requirements?
Tell us about the project and we will respond within 48 hours with scope, timeline, and a fixed fee.
Yes. Under the Building Safety Act 2022, buildings over 18 metres or seven storeys are higher-risk buildings and require Gateway 2 approval before construction begins. Facade fire performance, including fire-rated systems where required, perimeter fire barriers, and compartmentation at the floor junction, is a central part of the evidence needed for Gateway 2.
Yes. Sovereign produces facade fire-performance design and documentation to support Gateway 2 submissions. To be clear on scope, Sovereign provides the facade engineering evidence and documentation that supports the submission; it does not own or grant the gateway approval itself, which rests with the Building Safety Regulator.