The Extreme Photonics Applications Centre - BB7

The Extreme Photonics Applications Centre

Sectors

Services

Client

Hurley Palmer Flatt

Project overview

BB7 were appointed by MACE to provide a fire advice due to EPAC’s unique design and its subsequent challenges.

Project scope

The Extreme Photonics Applications Centre (EPAC), is a new national facility, supporting UK science, technology, innovation and industry. EPAC aims at bringing together ‘world-leading interdisciplinary expertise’. The building construction phase of EPAC was completed in May 2022. The site is split into two separate experimental areas. Experimental Area 1 (EA1) has a fixed arrangement, delivering a laser beamline to assist with various experiments and industrial applications. Experimental Area 2 (EA2) contains a large flexible configurated vacuum chamber, with differing beam options to that of EA1. The primary use of the space will be for science studies and laser- matter interactions.

The BB7 response

Due to the nature of the works taking place, the laser target area had a significant increased single direction of escape. These travel distances needed to be achieved, due to the thickness of the walls surrounding the target area, being of concrete core that are over a meter in thickness. With walls being of such thickness, BB7 were appointed to overcome subsequent fire stopping related issues. BB7 also justified a reduction in the structural fire protection based on engineering judgement and expertise.

Benefits of service

The client was above to develop the testing facility without any red tape preventing the research to be undertaken. BB7 offered a client centric consultancy service with the client in question pleased that we were able to agree with the approving authority escape past a void within 4.5m of an edge. BB7 were able to effectively provide their expertise to the client offering unique and efficient solutions to the issues in question in a timely and costly manner.

 

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