Project Overview
For more than 130 years, Olympia has been a home for innovation, performance and global exhibitions. Its redevelopment will secure its legacy for future generations, creating a vibrant district that brings together art, education, hospitality, retail, workspace and live events.
Appointed by main contractor Laing O’Rourke, Kilnbridge has been entrusted with delivering the passive fire protection package across this complex, multi‑use estate – a responsibility central to the long‑term safety and resilience of the development.
Kilnbridge’s package extended across exhibition halls, retail and residential units, two hotels and a school. The works included penetration sealing, Durasteel and Promat encasement boarding, cavity barriers, beam cladding and fire barriers such as curtain wall systems.
Working closely with Laing O’Rourke and the project designers and fire engineers, Kilnbridge helped specify and develop tailored passive fire protection solutions that met the project’s stringent performance criteria whilst ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements.
A key challenge lay in identifying tested, compliant solutions across a wide variety of service types, substrates and compartment lines. To address this, Kilnbridge brought together its in‑house technical and design teams and the technical teams from seven key supply chain manufacturers. Working together from the outset, the team collaborated to ensure the solutions that were recommended, and duly installed, were not only compliant but also the most suitable option for each application.
Together the team developed a comprehensive specification schedule to cover all work packages. This schedule became a single point of reference for the project team, detailing service types, sizes, materials, wall types, opening dimensions, required fire ratings and tested details from the manufacturers.
With more than 170 line items, it enabled Laing O’Rourke to manage every compartment line with clarity and confidence, ensuring full compliance with statutory regulations and Approved Document B.
Delivery success was underpinned by Kilnbridge’s operational scale, technical capability and commitment to quality. The size and complexity of the project – combining new build alongside renovation and change of use – required careful planning. Further, with a large number of different trades on site, coordination of the delivery of work had to be managed precisely.
At its peak, up to 40 skilled passive fire operatives were deployed on site, often working out‑of‑hours working to ensure the programme was efficiently delivered. The operatives were supported by the company’s internal technical design team.
Thorough surveys and inspections maintained consistency and compliance throughout the project. The use of Onetrace handheld technology provided real‑time progress updates, transparent reporting and seamless communication with the client team, strengthening programme certainty and traceability.
Critical Importance of the Works
The passive fire protection works delivered by Kilnbridge have played a vital role in safeguarding Olympia’s future. In a development of this scale and complexity – one that will welcome millions of visitors across public, private and mixed‑use spaces – robust compartmentation and fire resilience are essential.
Kilnbridge’s interventions protect escape routes, structural elements and operational continuity, ensuring that the building performs safely and reliably for decades to come.
By combining technical expertise, collaborative problem‑solving, and rigorous quality assurance, Kilnbridge is helping to secure Olympia’s long‑term resilience and supporting its transformation into a safe, vibrant and enduring cultural landmark.