Fire Retardant Entrance Matting for Battersea Power Station & Nine Elms
Fire Retardant Entrance Matting for Battersea Power Station & Nine Elms
With a population just shy of 9 million people, 5 million of whom make a tube journey each day, London’s Underground rail network plays a vital role in keeping Britain’s capital city moving.
Project Background
The two newest stations to join the London Underground network, Battersea Power Station and Nine Elms, both opened to the public on 20 September 2021. Forming an extension to the Northern Line, the two zone one stations are the first to be added to the network since the Jubilee Line development in 1999.
After a successful tender, INTRAsystems was engaged in 2017 by London-based Grimshaw Architects, the firm responsible for delivering both stations’ entrance architecture, to provide the Nine Elms and Battersea Park Station entrance mats.
The challenge
To comply with fire safety, the mats had to meet Section 12 of the 1989 fire precaution sub surface railway station regulation, which came into effect following the 1987 station fire at Kings Cross. Additionally, the specification needed to be robust and hardwearing enough to cope with the prolonged heavy footfall expected of both stations, while also being able to provide an effective drainage solution in times of adverse weather conditions.
As well as the durability of the material and its resistance to fire, the station matting also needed to be adaptable enough to fit with the raked angles of both station entrances and be quick and easy to lay.
A high performance solution
To meet all requirements of the brief, Grimshaw Architects specified INTRAform FR our unique, fire-resistant entrance matting, a heavy duty aluminium matting with specialist fire-resistance and low toxic smoke emission, multi-directional inserts. Developed for high risk, high-traffic, areas where fire safety is critical, the entrance mat is fully Section 12 compliant, making it ideal for use in underground stations. It also meets the European railway standard for fire safety (EN45545) and is constructed from 100% recycled aluminium.
Together with its fire retardance, the open construction INTRAform FR option is also able to deliver the essential drainage capabilities needed to keep the station flooring safe and slip-free in times of rain.
As well as offering a slip rating in excess of PTV38, the multidirectional open construction features slots within the matting, which prevents surface water from pooling. This functionality prevents puddles forming on the station floor on wet days, even during heavy traffic periods such as rush hour, when thousands of passengers cross the station threshold each hour.
If you have a building that can benefit from hardwearing, fire-resistant, entrance matting that adheres to Section 12 standards, INTRAform FR is the ideal solution.
Consult our specification team for a no-obligation quote, tailored to your specifications, or use our sample selector to request a FREE sample of INTRAform FR today.