Category: News

  • OFR presented with the Silver Employer of the Year Award

    OFR presented with the Silver Employer of the Year Award

    OFR Consultants was recognised in the Employer of the Year category at the SME National Business Awards in London this weekend. We received the Silver award for Employer of the Year, underscoring the company’s dedicated efforts in people development and fostering an open, inclusive working culture.

  • An international award for our colleague Carmen

    An international award for our colleague Carmen

    Huge congratulations to our colleague Carmen Gorska who is fresh back from her trip to Tsukuba, Japan where she received the coveted silver Thomas Philip Medal of Excellence award for her scientific paper titled ‘Fire dynamics in Mass Timber compartments’ at the 14th IAFSS conference.

  • A RIBA Prize for Houlton School

    A RIBA Prize for Houlton School

    This year, the RIBA launched its very first RIBA Stirling Prize award for Reinvention. The inaugural winner was Houlton School in Rugby – a scheme on which OFR is part of the design team

  • A core concept for tall buildings

    A core concept for tall buildings

    UK government has confirmed that it will adopt an 18-metre height threshold for second staircases in all new residential buildings. In response, we’ve released updated plans of our second staircase concept – something which will support the viable development of safe, tall buildings in an increasingly difficult construction market. Here, Rich tells us more.

  • Sam Bryant wins coveted SFPE UK Award

    Sam Bryant wins coveted SFPE UK Award

    OFR Consultants colleague and Fire Engineer Sam Bryant has won a coveted award from the Society of Fire Protection Engineers (SFPE). The annual awards programme celebrates individuals who have made significant contributions to the advancement of the profession.

  • Contributing to clearer rivers in Bath

    Contributing to clearer rivers in Bath

    Our OFR colleagues in Bath recently took time out of their days to support the Bristol Avon Rivers Trust (BART), an organisation dedicated to putting healthy rivers at the heart of community life. The team joined the scheme as part of our Better Days programme, an OFR initiative which enables all of our colleagues to support causes that…

  • The Paper Garden in pictures

    The Paper Garden in pictures

    This month, we celebrated the completion of The Paper Garden, a new community project for London which has see the transformation of a former car park into a 200m2 classroom and ecology garden – a collaborative seedbed in which to nurture creativity. Here our colleague Liam Caddy shares some of the pictures and highlights. 

  • Contributing to a landmark collaborative facility – our work at NMIS

    Contributing to a landmark collaborative facility – our work at NMIS

    From RIBA Stage 2 through to completion, we have worked on behalf of HLM Architects as part of the team delivering the incredible new National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) building. Principal Fire Engineer, Graeme Shaw shares how our fire engineering guidance on the building will help to raise the bar for collaboration across sectors…

  • OFR and STA clarify CLT fire compliance for industry

    OFR and STA clarify CLT fire compliance for industry

    Leading fire engineering consultancy, OFR Consultants working in collaboration with the Structural Timber Association (STA) is offering the wider industry valuable clarity on the fire safety design of mass timber buildings. 

  • Collaborative Creation – The Paper Garden at Canada Water

    Collaborative Creation – The Paper Garden at Canada Water

    On behalf of British Land, we have been supporting the ongoing progress of the Canada Water masterplan across various elements of the project. Here our design director Jack Wilshaw tells us more about a very special, sustainability project.

  • A new concept for high rise safety; creating safer and sustainable buildings with 81% net:gross

    A new concept for high rise safety; creating safer and sustainable buildings with 81% net:gross

    The construction industry has a responsibility to make high rise buildings safer and more sustainable… Matt Brook Architects made a proactive move to address this with the design of a core that was safer for residents and firefighters as well as being highly efficient. Working collaboratively with OFR, the core has been developed and validated…

  • Investing in future talent through our OFR Technical Institute

    Investing in future talent through our OFR Technical Institute

    The OFR Technical Institute was introduced in 2020 – giving colleagues high quality, in-house training that helps them deliver great work for our clients. Here, our Technical Director, Dr. Danny Hopkin tells us more.