Wrightstyle fire protects 1960s London tower block

Wrightstyle, the advanced steel and aluminium glazing company, has helped to transform a tired London 1960s high-rise block, building in new and improved levels of fire safety.

The 10-storey Leyton Green tower block, in Leyton, east London, has been extensively refurbished, with Wrightstyle completing a glazed tower to provide enhanced staircase access and, more importantly, a protected escape route.

The Waltham Forest completion comes only weeks after the London Fire Brigade (LFB) announced that there had been 684 fires in high rise flats in 2014, with the LFB launching a Know the Plan campaign to better ensure people know what to do in the event of fire.

Although fatal fires in high rise buildings are very rare, nine people died at Lakanal House, Camberwell in 2009.  A contributory cause was a lack of fire resistance around doors, meaning that the fire wasn’t adequately contained.

Underlining how most fires begin from an insignificant cause, the Lakanal House fire was started by an electrical fault in a TV in a ninth-floor flat.

Wrightstyle, which is based in Devizes, Wiltshire, but supplies its specialist systems worldwide, supplied, fabricated and installed its glazing units to the Leyton Green tower.

The new external glazed staircase, with some internal screens and fire doors, has been certified to provide 60 minutes of both fire resistance and prevent the passage of heat and harmful gases.

The overall design is therefore intended to give residents a safe escape route in the event of fire, as well as providing fire fighters with secure and easy access. 

“The Leyton Green tower block was built when fire regulations were less stringent and modern glazing systems weren’t available.  The refurbished development now incorporates the very latest in advanced glass fire protection and also greatly improves the building’s appearance,” said John Woodcock, Wrightstyle’s contracts manager.