How have fire regulations shaped architecture in London?

One thing London gets a lot of praise for is its buildings. It has everything, from iconic historical landmarks to hyper-modern structures. However, what you may not know is how fire regulations have shaped the city. We want to have a closer look at that here. Then, if you want some help to design residential architecture in London, you can trust us.

The 17th century

The Great Fire of London in 1666 is one of the most significant events in our history. It was horrendous for the city, destroying almost all of the medieval buildings, including 13,000 homes. In the aftermath, it was a huge job to rebuild.

Many people don't know the true extent of the impact of the Great Fire of London. It actually led to a complete review of building, including what materials to use and the shape of buildings. Two years later in 1668 we got the Fire Prevention Regulations. People highlight them today as arguably the first time we got any kind of building standards in the UK. The Fire Prevention Act in 1774 went even further to ensure such a tragedy would not happen again.

If you visit any part of London that was rebuilt after the Great Fire of London, or areas from the 17th century expansion of the city, you can see the impact of the new regulations. Buildings are non-combustible materials, primarily brick and stone. They tend to have several similar details too, including the heights, roof profiles, and even the space between windows. The regs had an impact on everything, including residential architecture in London.

20th century

You can see how successful the new regulations were because London was safe for hundreds of years. However, we had another significant period in our history in 1940/41. The bombing during the Blitz, and fires caused by it, destroyed large parts of the city. There were new regulations in the post-war reconstruction period.

One of the most interesting things here is we got national building codes for the first time. The goal was to support construction on a national scale. They were useful, but also got a lot of criticism for being imposing.

We got some really interesting developments here though. For example, using reinforced concrete and structural steel frameworks became very popular. Building upward was a big trend too, beginning a love story with skyscrapers. It was one of the biggest influences on residential architecture in London. In turn, we got even more regulations for fire safety, allowing more innovation.

Grenfell

We're now seeing a fourth era of changes in fire safety regulations in the wake of the Grenfell tragedy. Many blame deregulation and out of date building standards for the disaster. So, we're seeing changes to improve buildings and the construction industry. This includes requirements such as installation of second stairwells.

Today what we have is an era where the regulatory burden on buildings is higher, especially when there are more risks. So, it is likely to shape the next wave of architecture in London. For example, we're likely to see more people favouring materials known to be non-combustible rather than newer things like composites. People may also decide to look at smaller building heights to avoid the need for second stairs.

Ask us about residential architecture in London

As you can see, fire regulations have, and will continue to, shape architecture, especially in London. It is crucial to make fire safety a priority, especially in high risk situations. At the same time, people need to continue to look at innovation.

Coffey Residential is here to help if you want to design a home in London. We can work with any brief, excelling at delivering high end properties. From new builds to renovation and extensions, we can do it all.

So, get in touch if you want to discuss residential architecture in London with us. We'll share our expertise, insights, and more.