Sports Direct, Maylord Shopping Centre

The proposal was for a two-storey Sports Direct unit to be created within the Maylord Shopping Centre from existing units and extended into the mall at ground and first floor levels.

At the shell design stage Innovation Fire Engineering identified the implications for the proposed alterations to the shopping centre as the impact of the larger unit on the existing mall smoke control system and the impact of the increased occupancy level on escape routes.

Having identified that the means of escape routes could adequately cope with the increased occupancy, Innovation Fire Engineering presented two options to the client with regard to the existing mall smoke control system. Option 1 was to separate the unit from the mall with fire resisting construction at ground and first floor levels. Option 2 was to enclose the staircases within the unit to separate the ground and first floor levels and only provide fire resistance between the unit and the mall at ground floor level.

At the fit out stage, the client wanted a large accommodation stair between ground and first floor levels for ease of access and therefore the option to fire resist the unit from the mall at ground and first floor levels was adopted. This fire separation was achieved with fire shutters on a fusible link therefore enabling the store to maintain the wide door openings desired for shopping centre units.