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Author: Tori.Waddell

#ONEHOLMES

June 30, 2022September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on #ONEHOLMES

We have exciting news! From July 1, 2022, Holmes Fire and Holmes Consulting are coming together to provide the same expert services we currently offer in Aotearoa New Zealand and Australia—operating as one business across both countries. We’re also working even more closely together globally, with one Holmes Executive Team leading Holmes internationally.

For our clients and partners, it means our specialist services are better connected and integrated, and Holmes is structured to deliver you even more value, quality and responsiveness. We’re also better positioned to support our clients as technology, markets and opportunities evolve.

In Aotearoa New Zealand, Holmes Fire and Holmes Consulting is combining our three connected specialist Practices. “Holmes NZ” now delivers Fire, Structures, and Infrastructure engineering, while “Holmes Australia” continues to deliver premium fire engineering services to the Australian market. Holmes NZ also continues to extend its reach into the Netherlands, delivering advanced seismic assessment and structural engineering.

In the USA, Holmes offers premium engineering services across thriving Structures, Fire and Residential Practices, with strong links to Holmes in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand. While our friends at Holmes Solutions continues to deliver world-leading international product development and testing from offices in Aotearoa New Zealand and the USA—with key connections into the wider Holmes Group.

As always, the team at Holmes is committed to delivering quality and value in everything we do, wherever we do it. We’re looking forward to seeing you soon.

John Hare, Hamish Nevile, Stuart Harris, Glen Mitchell, Sam Cooper, and the Holmes team in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand.

Atlassian | The World’s Tallest Timber Hybrid Tower

August 19, 2022October 20, 2022 Leave a Comment on Atlassian | The World’s Tallest Timber Hybrid Tower

Over 39 storeys high, Atlassian’s proposed Australian headquarters, to be funded and developed by one of Australia’s leaders in property Dexus, will soar above the new innovation and technology precinct, Tech Central, located above Central Station as Sydney’s tallest hybrid-timber commercial tower, and the tallest of its kind in the world. The complex design will not only push physical limits but will also set a new benchmark in sustainable design and future proofing.

Atlassian and Dexus have been working with the NSW Government, undertaking a thorough planning process and international design competition to determine the amazing design for the Atlassian building, and various commercial and technical agreements to enable development on the YHA site.

The hybrid-timber design will predominantly house commercial offices, with retail and accommodation facilities that are adaptable for the changing needs and expectations of Sydney’s tech community.  

Holmes is proud to be contributing to the fire engineering and structural fire engineering design of this signature building. Our experienced engineers have been working closely with the design team and approval authorities to inform the building’s design and fire safety strategy, with careful consideration of the development’s connection with surrounding existing and future developments. Advanced thermal and structural fire analysis will be utilised to support and verify the design of the primary exoskeleton and the mass timber habitats. 

Our team is looking forward to continuing to work on this project for the next few years and contributing to an iconic development that is sure to be considered a significant milestone in Sydney’s built history.

Collaboration is key for Ōtautahi (Christchurch’s) latest endeavour

August 17, 2022September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on Collaboration is key for Ōtautahi (Christchurch’s) latest endeavour

Holmes is proud to be a member of the Kōtui consortium working on the design and construction of Te Kaha, a new multi-use arena in Ōtautahi (Christchurch). The $683M state-of-the-art arena will be located in central Ōtautahi, Canterbury and is jointly funded by Christchurch City Council and the Crown’s Christchurch Regeneration Acceleration Fund. The arena will be able to hold over 30,000 spectators and aims to add to the city’s vibrant lifestyle while establishing Ōtautahi as a sporting and cultural centre within Aotearoa New Zealand and internationally.

Led by BESIX Watpac, Kōtui brings together companies from Aotearoa New Zealand and beyond with expertise and experience in stadium design. The Kōtui team and other consultants working on this project include:

Architect: Populous
Subcontractor and Kōtui team member: Southbase Construction
Architect: WARREN AND MAHONEY
Land Surveying: Graham Surveying Ltd
Security Risk Assessment: Intelligent Risks
Sports Turf Consultant: SSDM Blair Cornthwaite
Engineering: Mott MacDonald
Waste Management Specialist: Eunomia Research & Consulting
Landscape Architecture / Urban Designer: LandLAB_
Geotechnical Engineering: Golder

Holmes is providing a complete range of services including Fire Engineering, Fire Protection Engineering, Passive Fire Protection, and Structural Fire Engineering for this iconic project. We’re eager to be working with such a diverse and experienced team who give us the opportunity to develop and build new relationships while also working with some of our established partners and contributing to the rich history in Ōtautahi.

The Design & Construct contract was recently signed by BESIX Watpac, with work on site already been commenced—as the Kōtui consortium, council, and other important stakeholders work closely together, to deliver an arena worthy of Ōtautahi (Christchurch’s) growing entertainment scene by 2026.

Design and building practitioners legislation in Australia

July 15, 2021September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on Design and building practitioners legislation in Australia

In response to the public’s growing uncertainty and trust in the residential sector, the NSW government has introduced new legislation and regulations aimed at improving the quality of building and construction work.

From the 1st of July 2021, the Design and Building Practitioners Regulation 2021 (DBP Regulation) came into effect in NSW. The new regulations include a registration and certification scheme that supports the Design and Building Practitioners Act 2020 (DBP Act) enacted last year on 10th June 2020. The DBP Regulation has been designed to increase accountability in key stakeholders of the building including designers, developers, builders and professional engineers as well as establish a process requiring compliance declarations at multiple points of the building works.

On each residential apartment building project that adopts Performance Solutions, the Fire Engineer will be required to declare that the design meets the Performance Requirements and that the Fire Engineering Report integrates the designs of other key consultants such as structural, mechanical and fire services. These key consultants will also be required to declare that the requirements of the Fire Engineering Report have been incorporated into their design documentation.

Holmes Fire views the DBP Regulation as a welcome addition to the building industry and supports the inclusion of the design intergration process as a positive step towards a higher quality of building construction.

To streamline the process of integrating designs, Holmes Fire offers documentation review services – to put the magnifying glass over the drawings and specifications provided by key consultants to verify that the fire engineering requirements are correctly documented. Though the DBP Regulation and its requirements are new, Holmes Fire has an existing process to undertake documentation review services and have been offering this service to our clients for over 2 years.

Our team has found that reviewing documentation at the design stage results in issues being identified much earlier, when such issues only exist on paper. The time and effort taken to amend a drawing is relatively minimal compared to resolving a construction issue that has been built and has other completed building works surrounding it. This design documentation review process will reduce the number of issues that are discovered during construction works and fewer ‘patch fixes’ being used to resolve those issues.

Since offering design documentation review services 2 years ago, our team has developed an efficient process to review all relevant documentation and help the project proceed in a timely manner.

While the industry navigates its way around these big changes, it’s important to remember that it will take all affected practioners and businesses some time to adjust to the new norm for residential apartments. The DBP Regulation will lead to changes to our regular processes but the identification of errors at earlier stages will create opportunities for collaboration and innovation while also providing builders and developers with cost savings due to reduced rectification works during construction.

Who runs the (engineering) world

June 23, 2021September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on Who runs the (engineering) world

A Holmes Fire Engineer is a challenger to the expected, motivated to find the best solution for all, and is curious in the face of a new problem. 

Making up nearly 15% of our current team, the women at Holmes have played an important role in our success across Australia, New Zealand and the US. From graduate roles to branch managers, Holmes firmly believes in giving women the tools and support they need to reach their professional goals. As the industry continues to expand and engineering becomes a more common career choice for women, we believe that we have been extremely fortunate to find the right engineers for our team so far but also look forward to discovering talented female fire engineers to join us.

This International Women in Engineering Day #INWED2021, we’ve chosen to shine the spotlight on a few of the women engineers in our Leadership team. In each of their roles and as engineers, they’ve brought their own talents, skills and drive to the table to support Holmes and the wider team as mentors, educators, problem-solvers and luminaries.

Click on their images below to find out a little more about each of these inspiring women.

Sarnia Rusbridge

Project Director

Sydney AU

Kathryn Devine

Business Manager | Project Director

Auckland NZ

Keryn Goble

Project Director

Auckland NZ

Alyson Blair, Senior Fire Engineer Downtown

Alyson Blair

Senior Fire Engineer

San Francisco US

Fire Australia 2021 Conference & Tradeshow

May 3, 2021September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on Fire Australia 2021 Conference & Tradeshow

Australasia’s largest fire protection event, Fire Australia 2021, returns to Sydney this year with three days of the latest, leading fire safety content with key industry experts. The event features an intensive Conference Program with high profile speakers, breakout sessions, CPD seminars and off-site tours. The Tradeshow Hall will be open for all three days showcasing market-leading products and services from over 80 local and international exhibitors. FPA Australia will also be announcing their Award winners at the Conference Dinner held on Wednesday 12th May.

First held in 1965, the conference is hosted by Fire Protection Association Australia (FPA Australia), a not-for-profit organisation and national peak body for fire safety. The Association is made up of members from manufacturers, suppliers, installers and servicers of fire protection products and services, firefighters, building owners, insurers, designers and building surveyors, government and legislators, educators, bushfire consultants and anyone else working as part of the fire protection community to provide a safer environment for all Australians. The Association’s vision and purpose is a safer community where loss of life, injury and damage to property and the environment are eliminated through effective fire protection.

Join our very own Sarnia Rusbridge, Project Director in our Sydney office, and Nate Lobel, Principal Fire Safety Engineer at Performance Based Consulting, for a breakout session after Morning Tea on Day 1. They’ll be diving into a contentious topic, “Fire Safety Engineering – Did we drop the ball?”, where they’ll look at how fire safety and the role of fire engineers has developed, what the industry is currently achieving and what’s being done in the background to accommodate and prepare for the expectations of the building and construction industry. Be prepared to leave this session asking yourself – are we doing enough – through legislation, education, research and in our role as fire engineers within a project team.

Don’t miss the opportunity to see Sarnia in action and engage with industry professionals from around Australia, register now at fireaustralia.com.au.

It’s that time of the year again

December 16, 2020September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on It’s that time of the year again

A little more sparkle, a little less stress. These holidays, we wish you the very best.

Thank you to all our clients and colleagues for your patience and support this past year.

Holmes will be taking a short break over the holiday period to rest and recuperate in preparation for another big year.

Local office closures for all Holmes offices in Australia are listed below.

All the best to everyone this Holiday Season!

 

 

USA

Seattle | San Fransisco | Los Angeles

 

Offices in the US will be closed from Friday 25th December 2020 and reopen on Monday 4th January 2021.


Australia

Brisbane | Sydney | Melbourne

 

Australian offices will be closed from Monday 21st December 2020 and reopen on Monday 11th January 2021.


New Zealand

Auckland | Hawkes Bay | Wellington | Christchurch | Queenstown

 

All New Zealand offices will be closed from midday Friday 18th December 2020 and will reopen on Monday 11th January 2021.

A welcomed undertaking

November 18, 2020September 23, 2022 Leave a Comment on A welcomed undertaking

The International Fire Engineering Guidelines (IFEG) has been the go-to handbook of Australian fire engineers for years but this could all be changing soon.

Engineers Australia has formed a team comprised of leading fire engineers to provide guidance on the content of the new Australian Fire Engineering Guidelines (AFEG) at the behest of the Australian Building Codes Board (ABCB). This team features our very own Sarnia Rusbridge, Project Director in our Sydney office. She has been working alongside Kjetil Pedersen from Warrington Fire, Jonathan Barnett from Basic Expert, and Tobias Salomonsson of RED Fire Engineers since mid-2020. Between the four, the team has decades of fire engineering experience internationally and in Australia under their belt and are well known within the industry for their specialist knowledge of fire safety practices and research.

The release of the AFEG will be welcomed by existing and incoming fire engineers who are focused on providing the best solutions for a project. Holmes looks forward to when the AFEG is completed and the clarity it will provide the Australian Fire Engineering industry.

The Aotearoa New Zealand Interior Awards for 2020

October 22, 2020September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on The Aotearoa New Zealand Interior Awards for 2020

Following its successful opening to the public earlier this year, the design team and stakeholders of Commercial Bay celebrated another win as New Zealand’s Interior Awards 2020 winner. The prominent project was honoured for its “dynamic and expressive interior” taking home the Civic Award and the Supreme Award.

This project required a significant commitment from our team to pursue excellence for one of Auckland’s largest projects for 2020 as well as extensive hours spent on analysis, modelling and project meetings. Our Auckland team has been enjoying the well-deserved recognition and popularity that Commercial Bay has been experiencing since it opened, within the industry and with the public –  as well as personally enjoying some of the retail and dining options available!

View the design team’s winning presentation through at ArchitectureNow.

Legislation changes for professional engineers in NSW, Australia

June 30, 2020September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on Legislation changes for professional engineers in NSW, Australia

Following the paths of Queensland and Victoria, NSW Parliament recently passed a new law under the Design and Building Practitioners Bill that will require professional engineers to be registered to practise from July 1st.

The new law will require that anyone wishing to provide professional engineering services in the fields of civil, structural, electrical, mechanical and fire safety engineering be registered themselves or be working under the direct supervision of a registered engineer. The law aims to lift the professional standards of the engineering industry within NSW, to meet the legislative standards of our neighbouring states and to provide the community with a level of confidence in the engineering industry.

Future regulation will dictate the minimum requirements to be registered and the process for individuals to register. Engineers Australia (EA) and other professional bodies are pushing to allow anyone who is registered on the National Engineering Register (NER) or is a Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng) with EA to use their status as a pathway to statutory registration.

With 30% of our engineers currently holding a NER and/or CPEng status, and accreditations in Queensland and Victoria, Holmes welcomes the changes the new legislation will bring to the industry and look forward to meeting the higher levels of scrutiny and responsibility.

Glen Mitchell
CEO Australia | Project Director

James O’Neill
Branch Manager BRIS | Senior Fire Engineer

Sarnia  Rusbridge
Project Director

Michael Bower
Senior Fire Engineer
Erik Carlsson
Branch Manager SYD | Senior Fire Engineer
Mathew Freeman
Branch Manager MELB | Technical Director
Linus Lim
Technical Director

Michael Tsitovitch
Senior Fire Engineer

Wellington Architecture Awards – shortlist announced

April 30, 2020September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on Wellington Architecture Awards – shortlist announced

The Wellington branch of Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) recently released the list of finalist project for the Wellington Architecture Awards 2020. Holmes is delighted to announce that from the 43 projects chosen for the shortlist, our Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) team has delivered Fire Engineering and Fire Protection services for 10 projects! With the elevated level of architecture and design currently in the market, it is a source of pride that these projects have been chosen and a credit to our Te Whanganui-a-Tara (Wellington) team for delivering the high level of fire and life safety required in conjunction with the project teams involved. 

Antipodes Skincare Heritage Refurbishment by Architecture Workshop

Category: Commercial Architecture and Heritage
Service: Fire Engineering + Fire Protection

Bowen State Building by Warren and Mahoney Architect

Category: Commercial Architecture
Service: Fire Engineering

FNZ Office Fit-out by Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects (Wellington studio)

Category: Interior Architecture
Service: Fire Engineering

Forsyth Barr Workplace by Warren and Mahoney Architects

Category: Interior Architecture
Service: Fire Engineering

Harbour City Centre Annexe by Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects (Wellington studio)

Category: Heritage
Service: Fire Engineering

Housing NZ, Hanson St by Herriot Melhuish O’Neill Architects (Wellington studio)

Category: Housing Multi-unit
Service: Fire Engineering + Fire Protection

Mahara Place Redevelopment by Athfield Architects and Boffa Miskel

Category: Planning & Urban Design
Service: Fire Engineering

Maru at Te Herenga Waka–Victoria University of Wellington by Athfield Architects

Category: Education and Interior Architecture
Service: Fire Engineering

Site 10 by Athfield Architects

Category: Commercial Architecture
Service: Fire Engineering

Waitohi–Johnsonville Library and Community Hub by Athfield Architects

Category: Interior Architecture and Public Architecture
Service: Fire Engineering + Fire Protection

Congratulations to everyone involved in these projects, we look forward to seeing the results later this year.

Visit ArchitectureNow to view the full list of finalists for 2020.

Celebrating diversity at Holmes

March 2, 2020September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on Celebrating diversity at Holmes

We know diversity and inclusion is a significant opportunity to build stronger, more creative, more resilient teams at Holmes. Each member’s personal journey, vibrant personalities and aspirations offer unique perspectives to complex problems and contribute to the culture we’re so proud of.

This past week, we joined our colleagues in Sydney celebrating Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras and those in Aotearoa New Zealand celebrating Pride Month. Holmes is committed to ensuring our people are comfortable and feel respected in their environment—regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

To provide an opportunity to grow and prioritise diversity at Holmes, Together@Holmes (TAHi) was born. TAHi has been formed with a group of people around the business who are passionate about Diversity, Equality, and Inclusion (DEI) at Holmes.

Our long-term vision at Holmes is to be more representative of the communities we serve— and the places we live and work.

At Holmes, we encourage our team to dream big and therefore, empower them to achieve their goals;

  • In an environment where you can relax and be yourself.
  • Where we recognise and value diversity of thought and approach.
  • With equal support and equal opportunity to grow and develop.

The new faces of our Fire Practice in Australia

January 19, 2020September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on The new faces of our Fire Practice in Australia

We know OUR PEOPLE are our strength and the reason we are the fire engineers of choice for so many of our clients.

Our team is filled with dynamic, diverging and inquisitive personalities from all over the world, together they foster the positive culture that we’re so proud of.

In 2019 we found a further 25 people internationally who embodied the Holmes energy. Find out how the four new members of our Australian team have found life at Holmes so far.

 

SELENA CHIN

Fire Engineer
SYD

 

Selena is a recent graduate from the University of Maryland, receiving her Master of Science in Fire Protection in December 2018. She made the big move across the world to join the Sydney team in February 2019. Selena has worked on a variety of buildings in different project sections since joining Holmes Fire, but has been especially involved in projects with residential buildings.

Selena brings a fresh perspective to the projects she works on from her experience in the US and is utilising her student knowhow to establish herself as a speed report writer within the team. Selena is attentive and thorough in her understanding of new projects, which coupled with her keen interest in problem-solving makes her an asset to any project team.


What attracted you to Holmes Fire?

Holmes Fire offered a multinational experience with many UMD alums to vouch for the company.

How have you found it so far?

Great – company culture is unrivalled and I’m learning new things everyday.

What do you love and what do you hate about fire engineering?

I love the purpose it serves and how every project is different, but fire engineering is still relatively unknown and doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.

How do you recharge when work’s out?

In my free time, I like to play soccer (when I’m not injured), explore Sydney, and bake. I have just started a volunteer coaching position for the 2020 season, coaching an All Age Women’s Division 2 soccer team.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working at Holmes Fire right now?

The body has always fascinated me, especially given my affinity for sports. I think if I weren’t working as a Fire Engineer, I would be in school studying to be a physiotherapist.


 

JARED MATTERN

Fire Engineer
SYD

Jared joined the Holmes Fire Sydney team in April 2019 following an extended holiday, travelling through Asia.

With over 5 years’ experience as a Fire Protection Engineer in San Francisco, Jared has worked extensively on large scale residential and commercial projects. He is especially familiar with performance-based solutions for atria and complex smoke control. Jared enjoys problem solving with innovative technical solutions – his projects of choice are often unique and challenging, requiring his technical eye to solve any technical conflicts and increase design flexibility.


What attracted you to Holmes Fire?

I had some interaction with Holmes Fire while working in San Francisco. They appeared to be trying to innovate more than just providing standard design advice. When I had finally decided to move to Australia, I knew I wanted to pursue a career with Holmes Fire.

How have you found it so far?

The transition to Sydney and primarily Performance-based Fire Engineering has been a refreshing change of pace, allowing for a greater opportunity to learn and be creative.

What do you love and what do you hate about fire engineering?

The variety of the work. Each project is so different, giving me many opportunities to learn across several different topics. The variety of projects also means you do not typically get stuck working the same project all day everyday, for months or years on end, keeping me from getting bored. Litigation and legislation can impact the approval process, making it more difficult to receive approval for sound technical solutions – often not because of the contents of the science itself but the current public zeitgeist on a topic.

How do you recharge when work’s out?

Travelling is my recharge. Exploring another country with little more than a backpack allows for a different perspective of your life/world.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working at Holmes Fire right now?

If I hadn’t gone down the path of Fire Engineering that led me to Holmes Fire I would be working as a Structural Engineer somewhere in the States.


 

SILVIA PARRA

Fire Engineer
SYD

Silvia joined Holmes Fire Sydney after completing her International Master of Science in Fire Safety Engineering, a specialised Fire Safety degree that involves studying at three prominent universities around Europe over two years. The universities Silvia attended to attain this degree include the University of Edinburgh (UK), Lund University (Sweden) and Ghent University (Belgium).

Silvia inclination towards fire engineering began through her previous position in her home country, Colombia, which involved the coordination of design projects and designing active fire protection systems.

Silvia has experience working on projects in a range of sectors including residential, education and healthcare. Her expertise in BIM and modelling applications is a valuable addition to any project, which she’s always happy to share with the team.


What attracted you to Holmes Fire?

Holmes Fire is well known in the Fire Engineering field around the world. I came to know about Holmes Fire by information coming from the United States while I was in Europe. Then I found out that Holmes Fire is the most experienced fire engineering firm in Australasia and this definitely caught my attention.

How have you found it so far?

Holmes Fire is great. I like the collaborative environment in the office. Everyone is willing to help, to guide on technical matters and to share their knowledge with the less experienced ones.

What do you love and what do you hate about fire engineering?

What I love of Fire Engineering is being able to apply engineering concepts to increase the level of safety of occupants in a building. It is rewarding to know that we are working for the wellbeing of people.

What I find the less enjoyable is the little relevance that some people think Fire Engineering has in their projects. Some underestimate the involvement of a fire engineering team in the early stages of a project and then struggle to rectify mistakes when the construction process is already too advanced.

How do you recharge when work’s out?

Food always gives me a big boost when I need some energy. I keep little chocolates or cookies with me. Lately, I’m becoming a big fan of the coffee available in the office.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working at Holmes Fire right now?

Most likely, I would be working in my home country in the design or installation of fire protection systems since what we know here in Australia as Performance-Based Design is not applied there. With a bit of luck, I would be working for another fire engineering consultancy company, possibly outside Australia.


 


MICHAEL TSITOVITCH

Senior Fire Engineer
MELB

The newest addition to the team, Michael joined the Melbourne team in December –  just in time for the end of year party! Michael’s experience in the Australian construction industry began as an engineering intern during his undergraduate studies until he joined the field as a qualified engineer in 2014. Conveniently receiving his C10 accreditation within weeks of joining Holme Fire, Michael has been a valuable addition to the senior team, bringing experience from his work on a wide range of projects including mixed-use developments, residential, infrastructure, commercial, entertainment, healthcare, childcare, aged care and education.

Michael is especially experienced in large scale mixed-use, airport, and entertainment projects requiring the use of fire engineering software and tools to develop fire and life safety strategies. His experience in both fire safety and fire services has allowed Michael to develop exceptional project management and communication skills. With the end goal always in mind, Michael works closely with other engineering disciplines and project stakeholders to ensure fire engineered solutions are customised, sound and commercially viable.


What attracted you to Holmes Fire?

Holmes Fire has always been a trusted name in the industry including representation at various professional bodies, committees, and government inquiries, as well as possessing an impressive range of project involvement. When a current employee reached out and let me know Holmes Fire was hiring, I was very sceptical hearing that the only negative about working at Holmes Fire was the office location being one block too far from a particular public transport stop!

Having met with some of the senior staff, it quickly became apparent that Holmes Fire would be a great fit for both my professional and personal aspirations.

How have you found it so far?

The Holmes Fire ‘family’ have welcomed me with open arms. It is an absolute pleasure to be working alongside this group of bright-minded individuals. The friendly back and forth banter has been a welcome part of the overall laidback office vibe.

What do you love and what do you hate about fire engineering?

Fire engineering is an ever-evolving field that combines aspects of mechanical, electrical, structural, fire protection and chemical engineering disciplines together with building law and human behaviour. This diversity is one of the major drawcards to fire engineering. One thing that frustrates me is the inconsistency in the approval processes between states and territories, as well as the registration of fire engineers.

How do you recharge when work’s out?

By standing next to a power point…

In all seriousness though, spending time in the great outdoors as well as with family and friends are my ‘from where you’d rather be’.

What would you be doing if you weren’t working at Holmes Fire right now?

Flying has always captured my imagination. If it weren’t for Holmes Fire I could see myself as a pilot, preferably in a fighter jet. Over the years I have developed a great respect for the fire brigades – so alternatively, I imagine firefighting would also be a rewarding career.


 

If  you’re looking for a change and you think the Holmes culture might be a fit for you, visit our Careers page to see if there’s a role you

Or just get in touch, we’d love to hear from other like-minded people out there who believe they’re what we’re missing.

Holmes opens in Melbourne

April 15, 2019September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on Holmes opens in Melbourne

We’re excited to announce Holmes is now operating in Melbourne!

Following the success of over 20 years in Sydney, and two years in Brisbane—our Melbourne office will allow us to more easily service and add value for our increasing number of clients in Victoria.

We will be bringing the high levels of quality and service that Holmes is renowned for. In addition, we want to open the Melbourne market’s eyes to the cost savings and design potential that performance-based structural fire engineering can bring to projects of all sectors.

Launching the expansion south will be Mathew Freeman (CPEng), a Technical Director here with us at Holmes.

In the 11+ years Matt has been with Holmes, he’s become a Chartered Professional Engineer on the National Engineers Register in Fire Safety and is an accredited Fire Safety Engineer [QLD, NSW & VIC]. Matt specialises in Fire Safety Engineering, Infrastructure Fire Safety, CFD Modelling, Evacuation Assessments, Interim Fire Safety Strategies, Building Code of Australia (BCA) Assessments and has had extensive experience on projects from all sectors.

Matt not only brings a wealth of technical knowledge with him but also has the necessary business experience, having successfully managed the Sydney office as Branch Manager. We have no doubt that Matt will bring his secrets of success to the Melbourne market.

Matt will continue to be supported by the 25+ engineers in our Sydney and Brisbane offices, and our greater international team.

Get in touch to find out more about Holmes and how we can develop fire safety strategies that work best for you.

SAFIR Update; Improved Connections Supporting Faster Analysis

April 2, 2019March 6, 2023 Leave a Comment on SAFIR Update; Improved Connections Supporting Faster Analysis

Holmes Fire provided financial support for the new updates of the SAFIR non-linear finite element program with our very own Linus Lim providing input on connections development. SAFIR is a specialist finite element program that has been developed by Professor Jean-Marc Franssen (University of Liege) and Associate Professor Thomas Gernay (Johns Hopkins University) for the bespoke analysis of the structures in fire. From the numerous structural fire projects that Holmes Fire have undertaken, we recognised the need to improve the rotational hinge definition in the previous versions of the SAFIR program and provided financial support for the development of a new rotational hinge model in SAFIR, which also included the added ability to model semi-rigid connections. These new connection capabilities will enable engineers to represent boundary conditions of structural supports and connections more accurately. This can result in faster run times, better predictions of structural fire performance of real structures and can result in greater optimisation of fire protection of steel structures.

This development has been eagerly anticipated by the wider SAFIR user community due to the programs more user-friendly interface which results in faster implementation of these connections in the program and includes faster analysis times which will enable the faster delivery of results on projects.

Find useful resources and more about SAFIR here.

Providing Global Perspectives for University of Maryland Students

January 28, 2019March 6, 2023 Leave a Comment on Providing Global Perspectives for University of Maryland Students

In what’s becoming an annual tradition and anticipated start to the year, Holmes Fire, once again, hosted a small number of engineering students from the University of Maryland. As part of their short course ‘Australia: Global Perspectives of International Business in Engineering & Technology’, students spend nearly 3 weeks visiting some of Sydney’s iconic venues and meeting a variety of people in the industry. With the students coming from all engineering majors, the course exposes these future engineers to the differences in workplace culture and industry requirements in Australia and broader insight into what opportunities are available for them as a career.

The presentation covered life at Holmes and the Australian fire engineering industry with several of our staff joining to speak about their experiences followed by a case study presentation and a site visit to one of Sydney’s most well-known heritage sites.

University of Maryland students visit Holmes Fire Sydney

Alyson, Nick and Sean, Fire Engineers from the US themselves, spoke to the students about how they’ve benefitted from life at Holmes Fire Sydney so far and the industry differences they’ve found working in Australia.

Structural Fire Engineer, Linus, gave the students an introduction into Structural Fire Engineering, its’ growing importance internationally and how Holmes is leading the way.

Concluding the presentation, Michael, a Senior Fire Engineer who has been involved with the ongoing project since 2010, gave the students an overview of Sydney Town Hall, the issues involved and the Performace Solutions applied to the project before escorting the students on a tour of the heritage site.

 

University of Maryland students visit Holmes Fire Sydney

University of Maryland students visit Holmes Fire Sydney

We look forward to continuing to educate future UMD students on the differences in business cultures on the other side of the world and, hopefully, encourage them to come back and visit Sydney and maybe, stay awhile.

USA mass timber industry gets a growth spurt

December 21, 2018March 6, 2023 Leave a Comment on USA mass timber industry gets a growth spurt

Great news to end 2019! After nearly 3 years of development, committee hearings and voting, the proposed tall mass timber code changes (14 new sections) by the International Code Council [ICC] have finally been approved. While these prescriptive provisions don’t come into effect in the 2021 edition of the International Building Code [IBC], both Oregon and Washington have already passed legislation allowing these provisions to be in effect now.

Elsewhere, the Alternative Means and Materials (AMM) path provides a means in which these new code provisions may be implemented onto a project, through Authority approval process.

The 2021 IBC is expected to be released in late 2020, along with the full set of 2021 I-codes.

Holmes Fire have the expertise to assist you with developing a compliance strategy for your mass timber project and we are excited to work with these new advancements in the code to develop more successful Mass Timber projects across the US.

Learn more about the changes from American Wood Council or Contact Us to hear see how we can work with you on your next timber project.

Celebrating 30 years with Martin Feeney!

December 9, 2018September 19, 2022 Leave a Comment on Celebrating 30 years with Martin Feeney!

Our Holmes team in Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland) recently celebrated the 30th anniversary of their Principal, Martin Feeney at Holmes Group with a morning tea. As one of the founders of Holmes Fire, Martin has had a pivotal role in shaping the company and its success as well as within the fire engineering industry.

Martin started as a structural engineer in May 1986 when Holmes Consulting (the name our Structures and Infrastructures Practices used to be called) was Holmes Wood Poole and Johnson and after a brief stint at Hera, he joined the newly formed ‘Holmes Fire’ team (the name our Fire Practice was called) in 1996. It is fair to say Martin’s contribution, not only to Holmes Fire, but the fire engineering community, in general, is unsurpassed. He has been a leader in all aspects of fire engineering, and a huge part of the success of Holmes.

Congratulations on this amazing achievement Martin!

Australian Steel Institute educating on Structural Fire Engineering

Australian Steel Institute educating on Structural Fire Engineering

October 11, 2018March 6, 2023

Holmes Fire are pleased to be supporting the Australian Steel Institute with their education to their members on the Benefits of Structural Fire Engineering.

A recent article has just been released for structural engineers and technical designers alike, on the opportunities that Structural Fire Engineering design principles and methodologies can provide for your steel projects.

Australian National Construction Code (NCC), through Performance-Based Solutions, supports advanced assessment methods and processes to satisfy the Performance Requirements. Performance-Based Solutions provide better quantification of structural performance in fire to verify structural robustness and provides the opportunity to optimise structural fire protection.

Want to know more? Our Technical Director, Dr Linus Lim will be presenting over the coming weeks for the Australian Steel Institute on Structural Fire Engineering.

For a presentation near you, be sure to register for the upcoming ASI events below:

Sydney- 15th October
Brisbane- 16th October
Melbourne- 17th October
Adelaide- 24th October
Perth- 25th October

Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Awards announced for Te Whanganui-a-Tara projects

Te Kāhui Whaihanga New Zealand Institute of Architects Awards announced for Te Whanganui-a-Tara projects

May 7, 2018September 19, 2022

On Thursday May 3rd, 2018, the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) held their 2018 Wellington Architecture Awards.

There were 11 non-residential projects, which include a fire engineering component, and we are pleased to be involved on the consultancy team for seven out of the 11 projects honoured. Listed below are these seven award winning projects;

22 Boulcott Street
Commercial Architecture Award

Image Credit: Andy Spain

Arise Centre
Commercial Architecture Award

Photo Courtesy of NZIA

He Tohu Document Room
Public Architecture Award

Image Credit: Andy Spain

Our Lady of Kapiti School
Education Award

Image Credit: Andy Spain

Te Toki a Rata Building, Victoria University of Wellington
Education Award

Image Credit: Paul McCredie

Transpower
Interior Architecture Award

Image Credit: Jason Mann

Victoria Business School, Rutherford House Redevelopment
Education Award

Image Credit: Jason Mann

Congratulations to all the project teams involved in all the winning designs.

For Awards and the list of categories, see the full article here.

It’s been a decade! Richard Green—10 years at Holmes.

It’s been a decade! Richard Green—10 years at Holmes.

April 11, 2018March 6, 2023

Richard is a Fire Engineer based in our Sydney office and is a very valued member of the team. After dedicating ten years of his working life to Holmes Fire, we asked him some questions to get an insight into the culture at Holmes Fire and how Fire Engineering has developed for him over this time.

Why Holmes Fire?

The best thing about Holmes is definitely its people and its culture. When I met Glen, Holmes Fire Australia’s CEO, back in Christmas of 2007, I felt straight away that Holmes Fire was the kind of place that I’d like to work. It was soon after, I met some of the staff, many of whom are also still here today only confirming that this was a team I would work well with and ultimately learn a lot from and time has proved that!

 

What is your greatest achievement at Holmes Fire?

From a project perspective, It would definitely have to be finishing V by Crown in Parramatta, which will be completed construction in the next couple of months.

Personally however, managing to keep a work life balance is also a great achievement for me, considering when I started at Holmes I had a very different life, sans kids! But maybe ask me that again when I have to start doing the school drop offs and I may have a different response!

 

What have you seen change at Holmes over the last 10 years?

Pleasingly, not much. Holmes has kept a consistency in how they practice and their culture. Apart from the increase in staff numbers as the company has grown, noting it has now doubled in numbers, it is still the same place I started at 10 years ago.

 

What makes Holmes a great place to work?

That one is easy! The people.

 

Reflecting on your work, do you have any key projects that have been important and particularly influential for you, since you have been at Holmes?

As mentioned prior, V by Crown as it had a bit of everything from a Fire Engineering perspective, so I definitely learnt a lot.

Top Ryde City Living would also be up there. As one of my first major projects with Holmes Fire, this will always be memorable, and as a bonus the team on the project were great, always making a project more rewarding to be a part of. Despite some late stage hurdles, it was a great project to complete.

 

What have been the biggest changes you have seen in the industry?

The housing boom in Sydney which has affected the growth of high density living, this is seen through the increased level of high-rise residential projects we have worked on over recent years.

A great positive change for me would be the culture shift of Fire Engineers within a project team, being recognised as a value add for a project rather than a necessary evil. The shift of including Fire Engineers within the early developments of a building is growing and we are noticing the positive role this has on the overall management of a project’s fire safety strategy through both the design and construction.

Finally, social media has created a wider conversation and platform to share ideas and innovation within the engineering environment as a whole. This, for us is shrinking the gap between disciplines and improving innovation within design, engineering and construction as a whole.

 

On behalf of Holmes Fire and the wider Holmes Group, we would like to thank Richard for his contribution over the years, not only to his projects but to our company. Congratulations on this great achievement!

Holmes is heading to Antarctica!

Holmes is heading to Antarctica!

March 13, 2018September 19, 2022

Holmes is pleased to be the appointed Fire Engineer for the redevelopment of Antarctica New Zealand’s Scott Base. Mike Inwood and Reuben Costello from our Holmes, Fire Practice team, are the primary team for the project.

Holmes will be working within the building services team, led by Steensen Varming.
The wider consultant team include:

Architecture: Jasmax–Hugh Broughton Architects

Quantity Surveying: Turner and Townsend

Structural/Civil Engineering: WSP Opus

Building Services: Steensen Varming

The existing Scott Base facility is reaching the end of its functional life. The redevelopment of Scott Base will allow scientists from across the globe to continue researching some of the most important science of this generation. The outcome will be a facility fit for purpose to support our world-leading scientists in one of the most isolated places on Earth for the next 50 years.

The design of a building in Antarctica presents specific challenges due to the remote location and unique climate. The design and implementation of fire safety at the base needs to consider life safety in the immediate period during the fire event, long term operation of the base post fire, and asset protection/robustness.

Given the location and harsh environmental conditions in Antarctica, certain bespoke fire safety solutions, developed from first principles, will be required to ensure that the designs either meet, or indeed surpass, NZ fire safety design and best practice.

The team at Holmes is looking forward to the challenges ahead.

For further information:

http://www.antarcticanz.govt.nz/whats-new/new-zealands-coolest-redevelopment/

Photo Credit: Photo from ANZ attributed to Fiona Shanhun.

A new Fellow of the institution of Engineers Australia has been announced

A new Fellow of the institution of Engineers Australia has been announced

February 27, 2018March 6, 2023

We would like to extend a big congratulations to our Project Director, Sarnia Rusbridge who has been awarded the status of Fellow of the institution of Engineers Australia. This is a very prestigious accolade worth celebrating.

Sarnia has been with Holmes Fire for nearly 13 years, and as an established senior in our team, Sarnia is a positive mentor for our junior and senior fire engineers alike. Sarnia brings significant experience to our clients from her involvement in projects of all scales offering fire engineering performance solutions, BCA Assessments, performance based design and fire safety upgrades.

Sarnia is accredited as a Chartered Member of Engineers Australia (CPEng) and a Registered Engineer on the National Professional Engineers Register (NPER) in Fire Safety. Her involvement over the years with the Society of Fire led her to be Chair of the NSW Chapter. Additionally Sarnia is a C10 Accredited Certifier (Fire Safety Engineering Compliance) in NSW, a Registered Professional Engineer (Fire Engineering) of Queensland (RPEQ) and a Registered Building Practitioner (Engineer / Fire Safety) with the Building Practitioners Board of Victoria.

The greater team at Holmes Fire would like to congratulate Sarnia for achieving fellowship. Her hard work and dedication over the years to her colleagues and clients, in addition to her greater commitment to the fire engineering industry, is now deservedly honoured by this title.

Another Chartered Professional Engineer joins the Holmes team!

Another Chartered Professional Engineer joins the Holmes team!

February 13, 2018September 19, 2022

It’s an exciting start to the year for Holmes. We’re pleased to announce Erik Carlsson has achieved the status of Chartered Professional Engineer under the Engineers Australia accreditation scheme.

Erik has been part of the Holmes team since 2011. Graduating from Lund University in Sweden, Erik developed his Fire Engineering skills in the Sydney office whilst also assisting our Aotearoa New Zealand offices, as required. After 18 months working in our San Francisco office, he is now back in Australia working with the Sydney team. Erik brings a global mind-set and experience to our team—helping us to think outside the box that the Australian regulatory system can sometimes impose.

We’d like to congratulate Erik, after all his dedicated work over the years—this is a well-deserved achievement to have his competency officially recognised by Engineers Australia. And for Holmes, it’s great to add another Chartered Professional Engineer to our already experienced team, enabling us to deliver even more high quality fire engineering for our clients. Well done Erik on your hard work, it’s a fantastic accolade!

University of Maryland visits Holmes

University of Maryland visits Holmes

January 10, 2018March 6, 2023

For a number of years now, Holmes Fire has formed part of an industry tour for students from the University of Maryland participating in a program abroad studying the ‘Global Leadership & International Business in Engineering and Technology’. The course is designed at creating exposure to engineering practice in a global economy. Open to all disciplines of engineering and business students, the group this year included mechanical and aerospace engineering students keen in understanding the broader engineering industry from a global perspective.

Understanding the impact of technology solutions in a global context is crucial for students planning a career in engineering. As part of this course, these students are offered a 3 week trip in Sydney, where they are educated on the cultural aspects of global business and global leadership skills in Australia. The goal of the course is to facilitate the acquisition of these global capabilities in the area of technology and engineering.

Members of our Holmes Fire Sydney team, Alyson & Nick, also graduates of the University of Maryland, presented the principles of Fire Engineering in Australia, and explained to students the differences they face working as Fire Engineers outside of the US. They also discussed the opportunities they have been granted, both cultural and professionally, including the travel and personal development they have been able to experience through working for Holmes Fire. The students were then given an introduction to Structural Fire Engineering and its growing importance to fire engineering, both locally and globally. Prior to being lead on a project site tour, students were given an overview of the complicated fire engineering performance solutions for the iconic Sydney Town Hall, a heritage building project completed by Holmes Fire in 2010 which at present is still undergoing works. During the tour, they were shown the detailed aspects of the fire engineering solutions that were implemented during the building refurbishments and the involvement Holmes Fire had on its delivery.

Sydney Town Hall
Sydney Town Hall

We welcome students of engineering courses to take advantage of opportunities such as these and for us, it’s great to be able to open our doors to students joining the engineering industry and offer them an insight into our world.

For further information on the course, visit University of Maryland’s course overview.

School utilises architecture to modernise—becomes a standout

School utilises architecture to modernise—becomes a standout

January 9, 2018March 6, 2023

St Vincent’s College, Potts Point has recently finished a refurbishment to its Block B buildings, improving the circulation between classrooms and adding an all-weather outdoor space. The new addition, designed by ThomsonAdsett Architects, features open walkways overlooking a covered breezeway, which has a modern aesthetic featuring glass and concrete, contrasting to the heritage façade it is connected to. The overall result is an impressive construction, improving the functionality of these once disconnected buildings, whilst being sympathetic to its heritage features.

The design incorporates louvered glass walls creating a breezeway, transforming a once dark and neglected area of the building into a bright airy, all weather space for students to enjoy during their class breaks. Holmes Fire played a key role in the realisation of this architectural vision, using a performance based approach to justify omission of sprinklers to much of the breezeway, the use of natural ventilation instead of mechanical smoke exhaust and the use of a glass feature stair for egress.

Projects such as this, where there is a connection between an existing structure and a new structure will very rarely be able to meet the Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions without compromising the design, and the custom, performance based approach that Holmes Fire provides enables the design intent to be maintained whilst still providing suitable levels of fire safety. The result is a design that will satisfy the necessary safety standards, meet both the client and architect’s expectations, and be practical and cost effective to construct.

Read more about the project here.

A Decade of Transformative Architecture: 2008-2017

A Decade of Transformative Architecture: 2008-2017

December 12, 2017March 6, 2023

Architecture New Zealand has invited the New Zealand Institute of Architects (NZIA) editorial board to nominate and vote and what they consider to be the most ‘transformative’ projects in New Zealand this decade. The results are a display of some impressive architecture worthy of celebration. Have your say and vote for your favourite too!

More than 50 projects were nominated, and the NZIA has shortlisted this to 11 top voted projects. Out of these, Holmes Fire has proudly been the project Fire Engineer for 6 of the top 11 projects!

Auckland Art Gallery Toi o Tāmaki
2011
Image Credit: Patrick Reynolds


Image Credit: Patrick Reynolds

Len Lye Centre (Art Gallery)
2013
Image Credit: Davor Popadich


Image Credit: Patrick Reynolds

Bishop Selwyn Chapel
2016

Image Credit: Patrick Reynolds


Image Credit: Patrick Reynolds


Transitional (Cardboard) Cathedral
2013

Image Credit: Dennis Radermacher

Image Credit: Dennis Radermacher

Waitomo Glowworm Caves Visitor Centre
2010
Image Credit: Patrick Reynolds


Image Credit: Patrick Reynolds


Britomart Precinct 
2012
Image Credit: Jeremy Toth

Image Credit: Jeremy Toth

In no particular order, these projects have been voted most transformative architecture for New Zealand this decade, displaying a wide array of design styles, advocating advanced design innovation ranging from engineering, material type and overall architectural excellence.

Want to see more? See what other projects we at Holmes Fire have been busy working on around not only New Zealand, but Australia and the US!

Celebrating 21 years of the Performance-Based Code in Australia

Celebrating 21 years of the Performance-Based Code in Australia

December 6, 2017March 6, 2023

The Holmes Fire team is celebrating together with the Australian Building Code Board (ABCB) to mark 21 years since the release of the first performance-based building code in Australia.

After a long era of only prescriptive based building codes, the ABCB launched the performance-based BCA (BCA96) in October 1996, introducing overarching Performance Requirements, enabling bespoke building solutions to be implemented, as long as they could be demonstrated to satisfy the Performance Requirements.

Holmes Fire has been undertaking performance-based fire engineering in Australia throughout these 21 years and actually even prior to the release of this code. One of our founders, Hamish Maclennan, was providing alternative designs to the prescriptive building code well before 1996, through applications to the NSW Land & Environment Court.

The introduction of BCA96 has been a great development and advancement for the industry allowing a change to the approach in how buildings are designed and constructed. And, in a 2013, an independent report estimated that 70% of the $1.1 billion per annum productivity gains delivered by ABCB reforms were derived from the performance-based code. This same report identifies that the productivity gains could potentially double with an increased use of Performance based design.

Holmes Fire believes that the performance-based BCA has achieved its intent to lay the foundation for an industry to advance design, encourage flexibility, improve efficiency and facilitate aesthetic architecture, whilst maintaining the safety, health and amenity requirements of the code.

Holmes Fire is one of the few fire engineering consultancy firms who has been practising with this code since it was first introduced, and consequently, a countless number of our clients have benefited from the opportunities performance-based design has offered in adopting new technologies and materials, reducing construction time and costs, and providing architectural flexibility.

ABCB is committed to progressing the code 21 years on, whilst maintaining an approach that increases compliance, efficiency and productivity, including quantification of the Performance Requirements, capacity building and engendering a performance mindset.

Happy 21st Birthday to the performance-based BCA, let us celebrate the growth in our industry, promote many more years of innovative design and continue to allow a performance mindset across Australia’s building and construction industry.

Legislation changes for NSW raise the bar for fire safety

Legislation changes for NSW raise the bar for fire safety

September 25, 2017March 6, 2023

From October 1st 2017, new fire safety and building certification amendments to the Environmental Planning & Assessment Regulation 2000 will come into effect. These reforms aim at improving fire safety within new and existing buildings by requiring fire safety practitioners involved in a given project to be ‘competent’, which was previously not the case. There was previously no minimum qualification or experience that a practitioner needed to have in order to design, install, commission or maintain fire safety systems such a smoke detection systems, sprinkler systems, hydrants and hose reels, and even smoke exhaust and stair pressurisation systems.

For over 10 years now, the EP&A Regulation has required that for large projects, the nominated Fire Safety Engineer be suitably qualified and accredited as a C10 Fire Safety Engineer, which is essentially a formal recognition that a fire engineer is ‘competent’. Holmes Fire has five C10 Accredited Fire Safety engineers (Sydney based), all with a Masters degree or higher. Additionally, all Holmes Fire engineers have, or are undertaking, a specialist tertiary qualification in fire safety. This enables our team to provide sound fire safety advice and Performance Solutions that harmonise client and architectural objectives, whilst still maintaining acceptable levels of life and fire safety.

The amended EP&A Regulation also includes a number of additional checks and balances for fire systems designers and Certifiers to action, and Holmes Fire can assist the project team in achieving these to facilitate a smooth development approval process:

  • Plans must show, and Specifications must describe, the physical aspects of any Performance Solution (Clause 130 and Clause 144A). Holmes Fire can provide documentation review services to verify that the requirements of a Holmes Fire Performance Solution have been incorporated into building plans and specifications. This also serves as a secondary review to identify any BCA anomalies that may be overlooked by the Certifier.
  • Fire & Rescue NSW must be given the opportunity to inspect the fire safety systems that are installed, extended or modified within a Class 2 or 3 residential building before an Occupation Certificate is issued (Clause 136AA), regardless of whether a fire engineered solution has been applied. Where fire safety concerns of non-compliances are raised by these Fire & Rescue NSW inspections, Holmes Fire may be able to provide fire engineering advice or a Performance Solution to assist in resolving the issue.
  • The format of annual fire safety statements is to be improved and made consistent (Clause 181). These statements will also now be required to list all Fire Engineering Reports and Performance Solutions that apply to the building. This represents an excellent opportunity to verify the fire safety schedule for existing buildings to ensure that the schedule correctly lists the installed systems and their standard of performance. Holmes Fire can assist with this process and since we are an independent firm that do not install or maintain fire services, our review will never be accompanied by a quote for rectification works.

The new Regulations introduce a new compliance method for fire safety system designs to incorporate minor deviations from the requirements of Australian Standards and BCA Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions (Clause 164B). Where such exemptions are sought, Holmes Fire can assist in determining whether the operational performance of other fire safety systems may be impacted by the proposed exemption. Holmes Fire can also assist in determining if the proposed exemption may have an impact on any existing or proposed Performance Solution for the building.

Overall these changes will greatly increase the level of robustness within the fire safety and construction industries and Holmes Fire are excited to work alongside Certifiers, builders, fire services engineers and our clients to continue to deliver a high standard of fire safety solutions.

Grenfell Tower Fire

June 16, 2017March 6, 2023

Holmes Fire has been shocked by the devastating events of the recent fire that raged the Grenfell Tower in London. Our thoughts go out to the victims and their friends and family.

When events like this occur a lot of questions are raised and the community looks to experts such as Holmes Fire to provide insight, and more importantly, surety that similar events are not likely to occur closer to home.

Our International CEO, Stuart Harris, who is also a volunteer fire fighter, was invited onto The AM Show in New Zealand to provide comment and answer some key questions about the incident and the potential implications for the New Zealand building industry.

You can see the full interview here (staring at 4:44).

Consortium for Auckland Airport Redevelopment Announced

May 24, 2017September 19, 2022

Legend has it that our predecessors at Holmes Consulting once owned a Cessna, which was used to get around our Aotearoa New Zealand offices back in the day. Those times are over, but we still love aviation and infrastructure—that’s why we’re so excited to be part of the consortium selected to deliver the Auckland Airport development.

The scope of the project includes a new integrated domestic terminal, as well as significant expansion of border processing and the integration of extensive new transport and car parking facilities. The construction works will occur over the next decade.

We are Looking forward to working with Mott MacDonald, Grimshaw, and Architectus to deliver this major infrastructure redevelopment for Tāmaki Makaurau (Auckland).

Holmes Fire opens office in Brisbane, Queensland

Holmes Fire opens office in Brisbane, Queensland

May 1, 2017March 6, 2023

Holmes Fire is pleased to announce the official opening of an office in Brisbane. This expansion will enable the Holmes Fire team to more easily service the increasing number of clients in Queensland that are adding value to their projects through the implementation of Performance Based Fire Engineering.

The office will be led by James O’Neill, who is already hard at work on local projects. With support from the Sydney team we are able to service Queensland projects of any size. So if you have a project in Queensland that is on the horizon, let us know and we will tell you about all the benefits the project can achieve through a fire engineering approach.

Tall Timber: The way of the future

Tall Timber: The way of the future

March 20, 2017January 17, 2019

Buildings constructed of engineered timber products such as glulam, Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), and Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) are starting to pop up all across Australia and New Zealand. It’s easy to see why, as timber has many advantages when compared to more traditional materials such as steel or concrete and there is a real demand in the market for the cost and carbon savings that timber can deliver, as well as the excellent aesthetic exposed timber can provide to a building’s design.

Engineers Australia featured a 9 page spread about timber buildings in their March 2017 issue to explore why there is such a growing demand. In writing the piece, the EA editors sought the input of one of Holmes Fire’s Engineers – James O’Neill, who is our resident timber expert, having completed his PhD on the performance of multi-storey timber buildings exposed to fire.

You can read the article from the Engineers Australia magazine here.

Courtesy create magazine published by Engineers Australia.

Lessons to be learnt from Bankstown Fire Coroners Report

Lessons to be learnt from Bankstown Fire Coroners Report

January 30, 2015July 26, 2020

The NSW Coroner recently released the findings of the investigation of a fatal fire that occurred in a Bankstown Apartment building in September of 2012. Sadly a promising young woman, Connie Zhang, died from injuries sustained when she jumped or fell from the window of her Level 5 apartment whilst trying to escape the fire. Her housemate Ginger Jiang jumped from the window, and miraculously survived, but will be wheelchair bound for the remainder of her life. The building suffered extensive smoke and fire damage, resulting in a large number of residents displaced for up to a week after the fire. The local community was shocked and demanded answers as to how such a tragedy could occur. The Coroner’s report provides some of those answers and sets out a number of recommendations for key stakeholders in the building industry to minimise the risk of such a tragedy reoccurring. A few of the key issues and recommendations were:

Sprinklers

Based on the expert evidence presented, the Coroner was convinced that if the building had been provided with a sprinkler system, Connie would not have died. Sprinklers provide a multitude of fire safety benefits, most importantly, by automatically applying water to the fire and cooling smoke and fire gasses, sprinklers can avoid the fatal flashover scenario. Much of this Coroner’s investigation centred on whether the building was required to have a sprinkler system installed under the Building Code of Australia (BCA) Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions (issues of effective height and the building containing an atrium), however this discussion has little bearing on the actual fire safety risk within the Level 5 apartment that day. The fundamental issue is that the life safety benefits of sprinklers are not fully taken into account in the BCA Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions and the cost of installing sprinklers cannot be recovered by savings in other areas of the building design such as reductions in passive fire ratings or increase in travel distances to exits. These kind of concessions, based on the provision of sprinklers, are common in other building codes around the world and result in sprinklers being far more common in these jurisdictions. The Coroner has recommended that the Deemed-to-Satisfy Provisions be reformed to require the installation of sprinklers in all residential apartment buildings and similar concessions to be permitted, but building codes are slow moving beasts and such change will likely be a number of years away.

Maintenance

The Coronial investigation revealed there were potential issues with the ongoing maintenance of the building’s fire safety systems. Apartment buildings in NSW are required to be certified once a year by a ‘suitably qualified person’ as having fire safety systems that are maintained and will perform as per the standard of performance they were installed to. Over the years of the Bankstown building’s life, two different companies had provided such annual certification, despite the building allegedly having significant deficiencies in the fire detection and alarm system, stair pressurisation system and exit signs. The Coroner highlighted that there is an industry wide problem were those who certify building fire safety systems are often not suitably qualified to do so, but due to the lack of any accreditation requirements, do so anyway. Furthermore, whilst many companies claim to follow the maintenance schedules of AS 1851, there are presently no requirements for them to do so. The Coroner’s recommendations seek to rectify these systemic issues, however maintaining adequate fire safety will always be reliant upon the expertise of the individual.

Fire Safety Star rating

One of the Coroner’s more controversial recommendations was that a star rating system for fire safety be developed such that a building’s fire safety can be ranked. This highlights a critical nuance that is often overlooked: the building code sets the minimum standard for fire safety, there is always the option to go above this minimum standard and provide additional fire safety features, however this rarely occurs. Providing additional fire safety systems can not only afford occupants a higher level of life safety, but also provide an increased level of property protection, minimising the potential damage to a building in the event of a fire, and reduce the extent of ‘downtime’ where the building is not able to be occupied after a fire. The problem is that presently there is little motivation for a developer to provide more than the minimum required level of fire safety. The Coroner proposed that a star rating system
for fire safety would provide motivation for additional investment in fire safety (similar to the way Green Star ratings provide motivation for investment in sustainable building design) and highlights that “members of the public are entitled to know whether the building which they occupy is compliant, but minimally so, of safer than the minimum standards”.

A copy of the full Coroner’s report can be found here.

Holmes Fire has not been involved with the subject development, this article is provided as an interest piece only. Holmes Fire sends our sincerest condolences to all those affected by this tragedy.

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