Warehouse and industrial construction is one of the most active sectors in the Irish commercial property market. The growth of e-commerce and logistics, the expansion of the pharmaceutical and life sciences manufacturing base across Ireland, the development of data centres particularly in the greater Dublin area, and the ongoing need for modern industrial accommodation across all regions of the island have driven sustained investment in new warehouse, distribution, and manufacturing facilities.
Every significant warehouse and industrial building in Ireland with a structural steel frame requires passive fire protection as a mandatory element of building control compliance. The nature of the fire protection required, and the extent to which it affects the cost and programme of the project, depends on the occupancy classification of the building and the size of the fire compartments within it. For large warehouses storing high fire load materials, the passive fire protection requirements can be substantially more demanding than for standard commercial office buildings.
This article covers the passive fire protection requirements for warehouses and industrial buildings in Ireland, how those requirements are determined, the specific challenges that warehouse and industrial construction presents for the fire protection contractor, and how FireShield Ireland services fire protection projects on warehouse and industrial developments across Ireland and Northern Ireland.
FireShield Ireland carries out passive fire protection and structural steel fireproofing on warehouse and industrial buildings across all 32 counties of Ireland and throughout Northern Ireland. Our full service information is at https://fireshieldireland.com/services/commercial-fire-protection/.
How Fire Protection Requirements Are Determined for Warehouses
The fire resistance requirements for warehouses and industrial buildings in Ireland are set by Technical Guidance Document B, which classifies buildings by purpose group and determines the required fire resistance period for elements of structure based on the purpose group and the height of the building.
Warehouses and industrial buildings fall within purpose group 7, storage and other non-residential, or purpose group 6, factory and industrial, depending on the specific use. These classifications carry fire resistance requirements for elements of structure that depend on the height of the building measured from ground level to the floor of the highest storey. For most single-storey and low-rise industrial buildings the required fire resistance period for elements of structure is 30 or 60 minutes depending on the height and the specific purpose group.
For larger warehouses and distribution centres with significant floor areas, the compartment size limits in TGD-B play an important role in determining the extent of the passive fire protection required. TGD-B specifies maximum compartment sizes for different purpose groups, and where a warehouse exceeds the maximum compartment size the building must be divided into separate compartments by fire-resistant construction. In some cases the cost and complexity of compartment walls across a large warehouse floor plate leads developers to accept smaller compartment sizes and simpler construction rather than the continuous open floor area that would require more extensive fire resistance measures.
Sprinkler systems play a significant role in the fire safety strategy for many large warehouses in Ireland. The presence of a sprinkler system in a warehouse can allow a relaxation of some of the passive fire protection requirements, specifically the compartment size limits, reflecting the reduced fire growth rate that a sprinkler system achieves. This interaction between the sprinkler system and the passive fire protection requirements should be assessed by a fire engineer at the design stage, as the permitted relaxations are specific to particular configurations and are not blanket reductions.
Structural Steel Fireproofing in Warehouses
The structural fire resistance requirement for warehouse and industrial buildings in Ireland, typically 30 or 60 minutes depending on the height and purpose group, must be achieved through the application of a certified fireproofing system to the structural steel elements of the building. For single-storey warehouses this means the steel portal frame columns and rafters, the crane beams if present, and any internal columns supporting mezzanine floors.
The volume of structural steel in a large single-storey warehouse can be substantial. A 10,000 square metre distribution centre with a steel portal frame at 7.5-metre bay centres might have 50 or more portal frame bays, each comprising two columns and a rafter, plus eaves beams, purlins attached to the rafters, and internal structural steel elements. Fireproofing all of these elements to the required standard within the programme of a fast-track warehouse construction project requires careful planning.
Spray-applied fireproofing with Monokote is the most common choice for warehouse structural steel fireproofing in Ireland where the steel is exposed rather than concealed. The efficiency of spray application on large areas of steel in an open industrial building, without the access constraints of a multi-storey commercial building, makes Monokote a practical and cost-effective choice. FireShield Ireland, as the only licensed Monokote applicator in Ireland, carries out Monokote spray fireproofing on warehouse and industrial projects across Ireland and Northern Ireland.
For warehouses where the structural steel will be concealed above a liner system or other internal cladding, Monokote spray applied to the steel before the liner is installed is the standard approach. Where the steel is exposed internally, which is common in distribution centres and logistics buildings where the full height of the building is used for racking storage, the fire protection system must remain effective in the industrial environment of a working warehouse throughout the life of the building.
Details of our Monokote service are at https://fireshieldireland.com/services/monokote-spray/.
Intumescent Coatings in Industrial Buildings
Intumescent coatings are less commonly specified for warehouse structural steel than for commercial office buildings, because in most warehouse applications the steel is either concealed behind cladding or in an environment where the surface finish is not a significant consideration. However, there are industrial and warehouse building types where intumescent coatings are the appropriate specification.
Manufacturing facilities, particularly in the pharmaceutical and life sciences sector, frequently have areas where the structural steel is exposed and visible in a clean, well-finished environment. The quality standards applicable to pharmaceutical manufacturing areas mean that the surface finish of all elements within the space, including structural steel, must be appropriate for the clean room classification of the area. In these applications intumescent coatings in a specified colour and finish are required to achieve fire resistance while meeting the surface quality standards of the pharmaceutical environment.
Office areas within industrial and warehouse buildings, particularly the two-storey office sections that are a common feature of modern distribution centres and logistics facilities, frequently have exposed structural steel at the interface between the warehouse and office areas. This steel requires intumescent coatings where it is visible in the office environment.
Data centres, which have become a significant category of industrial construction in Ireland particularly in the greater Dublin area, are a specific building type where exposed structural steel in server halls and other technical areas requires careful specification of the fire protection system. The temperature and humidity control requirements of a server hall environment must be considered in the specification of any fire protection coating applied within the space.
Details of our intumescent coating service are at https://fireshieldireland.com/services/intumescent-coatings/.
Data Centres: A Specific Category of Industrial Fire Protection
Ireland has become one of the most significant locations for data centre development in Europe, with major facilities for global technology companies concentrated particularly in the greater Dublin area and in Cork and other locations across the island. Data centre construction generates substantial demand for passive fire protection contractors with experience of the specific technical requirements of this building type.
Data centres have fire protection requirements that go beyond the minimum required by building regulations in most cases. The combination of the high value of the equipment and data stored within the building, the operational continuity requirements of a facility that cannot accept any interruption to service, and the specific risks associated with the electrical and cooling systems within the building drives higher fire protection standards than standard industrial buildings.
The structural fire resistance requirements for data centres in Ireland typically require 60 or 90-minute fire resistance for elements of structure, with the specific requirements depending on the building classification and the fire engineering approach adopted by the design team. The compartmentation requirements within a data centre, between server halls, between server halls and support spaces, and between different technical zones, are typically more demanding than for standard warehouse buildings.
We carry out structural steel fireproofing on data centre construction projects across Ireland and Northern Ireland, working with the specialist data centre construction contractors and main contractors active in this sector. Our experience of data centre fire protection includes both new construction and the fit-out and extension of existing data centre facilities.
The Logistics and Distribution Sector
The growth of e-commerce in Ireland has driven significant investment in logistics and distribution infrastructure. Large distribution centres for major retailers and logistics operators, smaller last-mile delivery facilities in urban and suburban locations, and multi-let industrial estates providing accommodation for a range of logistics and light industrial occupiers have all been active construction sectors.
Distribution centres present specific fire protection considerations that arise from their occupancy and operational characteristics. The high fire load of stored goods, the continuous movement of goods through the building, and the presence of fork-lift trucks and other powered vehicles create a fire risk environment that must be considered in the fire safety strategy for the building. Automatic sprinkler systems are standard in most large distribution centres in Ireland, and the interaction between the sprinkler system and the passive fire protection requirements should be assessed at the design stage.
The programme for distribution centre construction is typically fast-track, with developers seeking to minimise the time between construction start and the start of operations in the building. The fireproofing programme must be integrated into this fast-track programme and the fire protection contractor must be capable of resourcing and managing the work within a compressed programme window.
We carry out structural steel fireproofing on distribution centre and logistics facility construction projects across Ireland and Northern Ireland, working within the fast-track programme constraints typical of this building type.
Pharmaceutical and Manufacturing Facilities
The Irish pharmaceutical and life sciences manufacturing sector is one of the most significant contributors to the Irish economy and generates substantial construction activity in purpose-built manufacturing facilities across Cork, Dublin, Limerick, Waterford, and other locations. The construction and expansion of pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities involves passive fire protection requirements that are determined by the combination of the building regulations requirements and the specific standards applicable to pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Pharmaceutical manufacturing buildings are classified under purpose group 6, factory and industrial, for building regulations purposes, but the fire safety design of pharmaceutical facilities is typically governed by a combination of TGD-B requirements and the specific fire safety standards required by the pharmaceutical company and their design team. These standards may require higher fire resistance periods or more extensive compartmentation than the minimum required by building regulations.
The construction of pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities in Ireland involves specialist construction contractors with experience of the validation and commissioning requirements of pharmaceutical manufacturing environments. The fire protection subcontractor working on a pharmaceutical manufacturing project must meet the documentation and quality management standards required by the pharmaceutical construction contract, which are typically more demanding than those for standard commercial construction.
We carry out structural steel fireproofing on pharmaceutical manufacturing construction projects across Ireland and Northern Ireland, providing the documentation and quality management records required for pharmaceutical construction contracts.
Warehouse and Industrial Fire Protection Across Ireland
Warehouse and industrial construction activity is spread across all regions of Ireland, not concentrated in Dublin and Cork alone. Industrial estates in Galway, Limerick, Waterford, Dundalk, Drogheda, and other regional centres generate consistent demand for passive fire protection contractors. The development of intermodal logistics hubs near major transport corridors and ports has created new concentrations of warehouse and industrial construction in locations across the island.
We carry out structural steel fireproofing on warehouse and industrial projects across all 32 counties of Ireland and throughout Northern Ireland. Our ability to resource projects across the full island, with appropriate mobilisation and logistics for projects at a distance from our base in Omagh, is a practical requirement for a fire protection contractor serving the Irish warehouse and industrial market effectively.
Fire Protection in Northern Ireland’s Industrial Sector
Northern Ireland has a significant industrial and manufacturing sector, with concentrations of advanced manufacturing, food processing, engineering, and logistics activity across the greater Belfast area and in regional centres including Derry, Armagh, Newry, and Antrim. The development of new industrial and logistics accommodation in Northern Ireland has been supported by the Northern Ireland Investment Fund and other public sector investment mechanisms, generating construction activity that requires passive fire protection to Northern Ireland building regulations standards.
The fire resistance requirements for warehouse and industrial buildings in Northern Ireland are set by Technical Booklet E in broadly the same way as TGD-B sets requirements in the Republic. The building control enforcement is through district councils rather than local authorities, but the practical requirements for structural steel fireproofing documentation and compliance are similar.
We are based in Omagh, Co. Tyrone, which gives us straightforward access to industrial construction projects across Northern Ireland. We carry out structural steel fireproofing on warehouse and industrial projects throughout Northern Ireland, working with the main contractors and developers active in the Northern Ireland industrial property market.
Programme Considerations for Warehouse and Industrial Projects
The programme for structural steel fireproofing on a warehouse or industrial building differs from the programme on a multi-storey commercial office building in ways that affect how the work is planned and managed.
Single-storey warehouse construction typically involves the erection of the complete steel portal frame before any follow-on work begins, rather than the floor-by-floor erection sequence of a multi-storey building. This means that once the steel frame is erected the fireproofing must be completed across the entire building before the roof and wall cladding installation can be completed and the internal fit-out can begin. The fireproofing programme window on a warehouse project is therefore a single, relatively short window rather than the progressive floor-by-floor sequence of a multi-storey project.
Access to the structural steel for fireproofing on a warehouse project must be carefully considered. In a large warehouse with a steep portal frame roof, access to the high-level rafters requires mobile elevated work platforms or scaffold. The access equipment requirement for the fireproofing must be co-ordinated with the overall site access plan, which on a busy construction site is shared with the cladding contractors, the roofing contractors, and all other trades working at height.
We engage with main contractors at the pre-construction stage on warehouse and industrial projects to provide programme estimates, identify access equipment requirements, and integrate the fireproofing programme into the overall construction programme before it is finalised.
Getting Started on Your Warehouse or Industrial Project
For any passive fire protection requirement on a warehouse, distribution centre, manufacturing facility, data centre, or other industrial building in Ireland or Northern Ireland, contact FireShield Ireland at the earliest stage of the design or pre-construction process.
We provide specification support, preliminary pricing, programme estimates, and technical advice at design stage and carry out installations to the required standard with comprehensive documentation as a matter of course.
https://fireshieldireland.com/services/passive-fire-protection/
https://fireshieldireland.com/services/commercial-fire-protection/
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