Basement escape from lightwell

9 years ago

Hi there,

I'm about to have a basement dug out and have employed a private Building Control firm to oversea the work. They have however told me that ladders are not an acceptable alternative means of escape as part of new works and that i need stairs in the front light well. Is this true? Only i have only ever seen ladders in the front lightwells (there are 5 of them in my road).

The house is in the borough of Wandsworth so i wasn't sure if there were any building regulations that i was unaware of?

Thanks,

Jack

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Comments (3)

PRO
Heat Architecture London
9 years ago
Presumably the basic problem is that the stairs from the basement storey exit via the kitchen and if a fire broke out in the kitchen the means of escape from the basement would be completely cut off and anyone in the Basement would be trapped. Its not really just a building regs issue - its a genuine safety concern. Pretty sure most house fires break out in the kitchen. If the stairs exited straight to the entrance hallway you would not need the alternative exit via the front lightwell. Building Regulations Approved Document Part B Volume 1 is the relevant legislation. You can access it online. I have never heard of a ladder being acceptable - what if you were disabled? The only alternative that you have is to make the main stair safe; either by building a wall between it and the kitchen, or there may be an option to look at a fire suppression system such as sprinklers/misting to create a safe route out.

I think if it were my house I would put the stairs to the basement underneath the stairs up to the first floor and swap the WC on the Ground Floor and the Utility in the Basement with the current stair location.

By the way the double sliding doors on the Ground Floor ought to be FD30 - 30 min fire doors. They are hard to find, but I know SELO make them: https://www.selo-uk.com/products/pocket-sliding-door-systems/
PRO
GOATER JONES London Ltd
9 years ago
We have three basement projects currently in construction all of which use a protected means of escape in conjunction with sprinklers or a misting system.

We would agree with the building control officer. But the problem is not so much with the use of a ladder or not - it is the general fire strategy that the layout fails to provide a safe means of escape.

Generally we would work closely with an Approved Inspector to ensure the design develops from the beginning with a fire a strategy in mind.

In particularly difficult situations, a specialist fire consultant can be employed that would look beyond the generalised building regulations to work more closely with the British Standards.

If you would like to discuss this further we wold be happy to assist as we principally work in the Wandsworth area.

Kind Regards, John 0208 332 3923
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PRO
Ensoul Ltd
9 years ago
Hi, we specialise in basement design and would be happy to help if you are still looking for advice. All the best, Mike https://www.ensoul.co.uk/portfolio/wandswoth-common-london/

Basement escape from lightwell

Comments (3)

Heat Architecture London

GOATER JONES London Ltd

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