205 Metres. 100,000 Drawings. One Vital Survey

 

Standing at 205 metres and the ninth tallest building to have been built in the UK is One Park Drive. Located in Canary Wharf, London, UK the skyscraper was designed by renowned Swiss architectural firm Herzog & de Meuron. 

 

A Complex Building

 

One Park Drive features complex geometry and a combination of multiple external wall systems, interconnected across different areas of the facade. Combined with its significant height, this created considerable challenges when undertaking a large-scale fire risk appraisal of external walls.  

To verify all materials met with current fire safety standards and to safeguard the building, the freeholders needed a specialist fire consultancy capable of delivering a technically robust external wall survey. Few engineers are competent to work on external walls, fewer still have experience with buildings of this height and construction methods. One Park Drive needed a true expert.  
 

To tackle this project and work safely, Peak used its team of highly experienced Chartered Surveyors, Chartered Fire Engineers, and Chartered Building Engineers to give the depth of experience and skillsets required.  

 

An In-Depth Approach

 

Leading this project was Peak’s Technical Director Kimon Spyrou, a Chartered Building Surveyor and Chartered Building Engineer, with over 16 years' experience in Fire Consultancy. Kimon is a recognised expert and specialist in high-rise buildings. Here, he explains exactly what the undertaking involved,  

"It was a fascinating undertaking due to the scale of the building and the sheer number of different construction techniques we had to account for. The desktop study alone required reviewing thousands of drawings and data sheets. But the real challenge was on the ground—or rather, high above it. Opening up a building at that height, while ensuring absolute safety for the people and cars moving directly beneath us, was a massive logistical hurdle." 

 

When you're dealing with a building of this magnitude, access dictates everything. And access relies entirely on communication. We kept a tight chain of information running between the local authority, the client, the residents, local businesses, and the teams responsible for the pavements and roads below. Keeping everyone aware of our movements was critical—it was exactly what allowed us to get into the precise areas we needed and execute a thorough inspection of every elevation." 

 

The Outcome 

 

After a week on site, the team conducted an in-depth, proportionate review of every external wall system, assessing each against its actual risk profile. This covered fire service access, fire stopping, evacuation procedures, and the condition and composition of the walls themselves. This was verified and consolidated against a thorough desktop review of 100,000 drawings, built information, and relevant fire strategy documentation. 

 
Ultimately, this highlights the true benefit of a rigorous external wall survey. The final report delivered more than a simple compliance check —it provided absolute certainty. By definitively proving the safety of One Park Drive, it gave residents, stakeholders, and lenders the total confidence needed to move forward, ensuring apartments could be occupied, sold, and remortgaged without hesitation. 

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Kimon added: "The FRAEW and EWS1 gave everyone a clear, defensible argument that this building is safe and can continue to be used with confidence for years to come." 

 

Peak is an independent fire safety practice specialising in the built environment and fire risk management. We strive to deliver fire safety consultancy that is risk-proportionate, practical, and built on genuine expertise. 

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When it comes to external wall surveys, we are the experts, contact us for a compliant, tech-led EWS1 inspection.