Warringtonfire holds grand opening event for Birchwood Park laboratory

To mark the occasion, customers, academics, trade bodies and local dignitaries were given a tour of the new facility as well as the opportunity to hear from some of the leading minds in the construction industry on a range of critical safety topics.

Speakers included Element’s CEO Jo Wetz and technical experts in fire resistance from the company as well as keynote speaker Paul Morrell OBE, who previously served as chief construction advisor to the Government.

Morrell and Peter Barker (technical policy manager at Warringtonfire) both called for a cultural shift within the industry towards better collaboration, an improved understanding of what due diligence means and the need for putting safety at the heart of all key construction decisions.

The day also included an official ribbon-cutting ceremony with Councillor Mo Hussain, the Deputy Mayor of Warrington, in attendance to do the honours.

Significant investment

Jason Dodds, vice-president of the built environment at Element Materials Technology, observed: “The launch of this state-of-the-art fire resistance laboratory is a significant investment for our company and a major step forward for the industry as a whole.”

Dodds added: “Growth in the construction industry is forecasted over the next two years by the Construction Products Association. Coupled with an increasingly complex regulatory landscape, this new facility will help us in meeting the needs of our customers.”

The new £24 million fire resistance testing laboratory is one of the largest in Europe and began operations on 2 January. Further investment is planned for the laboratory, which will eventually house seven industry-leading fire resistance testing furnaces (with five already in operation).

Birchwood Park has been built with sustainability and environmental factors front of mind. There are extensive measures in place to maintain air quality, reduce energy use and minimise impacts. These measures include advanced abatement systems for efficient smoke cleaning, a gas infrastructure established to accept green gas and hydrogen mixes once available in the area, cutting-edge power supply units and low-energy lighting and heating.

Realising the vision

Jason Dodds concluded: “We’d like to thank all of our guests for supporting the grand opening. This includes our loyal customers and principal contractor Tilbury Douglas for bringing our vision for this laboratory to life, not to mention all of our hardworking colleagues for the great work that they do every day. It’s through their dedication to fire safety that we are staying true to our ultimate goal of ‘Making Tomorrow Safer Than Today’.”

*For more information about Warringtonfire’s new Birchwood Park laboratory visit the website