The latest from OFR

This week we are launching a new series of blogs, in which colleagues tell us about their experiences with the OFR Technical Institute. Today we start with Bianca Coutinho who​ joined the business in 2021 and has recently been promoted from graduate to fire engineer. She has previously worked within the in fire engineering field with businesses internationally in Brazil and Ireland. Here she tells us more…

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.

Jack Wilshaw

Design Director

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 through testing. Read more about the process here.

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.

Our Mind Matters team is made up of mental health first aid trained individuals who are passionate about supporting their colleagues and raising awareness of issues such as anxiety and depression. With Mental Health Awareness Week underway, we look at how the team has been helping others throughout the year and the topics they have been exploring during the campaign week.

Sam Bryant

Graduate Fire Engineer

At OFR Consultants we protect and promote our people, investing in them to ensure that they can manage their work and home lives effectively. This month, we announced a series of new initiatives for our OFR working parents, with increased maternity and shared parental leave pay. Here, we hear from three parents in our workforce who talk about their approach to juggling the family work-life balance.

OFR prioritises colleague wellbeing, and we have a range of initiatives driven by our Mind Matters team who share information and deliver engaging sessions throughout the year. This month, our brilliant colleague Sam Bryant helped us celebrated MHFA Whole Self Day, delivering a talk on how we can bring whole selves into the workplace. Here, she tells us about learning how not to leave an aspect of our personality at the door. 

To foster cross-sector industry alignment on solutions to ensure the widespread adoption of large-scale mass timber offices, the Built by Nature Fund has awarded a €200,000 grant to a diverse UK consortium - including OFR Consultants - focused on unlocking the barriers to structural timber through the development of a technical Commercial Timber Guidebook.

Since 2016, we’ve worked hard to establish a flexible and inclusive working culture, working with our colleagues to nurture an environment where productivity is more important than presenteeism. It’s something that’s appealed to the many working parents in our team who this month, have been given even more benefits from OFR. Our head of HR Lucy Kirkup explains. 

Lucy Kirkup

HR Director

Having completed works at the Baldovie Waste to Energy plant at Dundee, we are bringing our expertise to a number of other projects in the UK. Here OFR director Jamie Gibson explains more…

Jamie Gibson

Associate Director

The 17-hectare Smithfield regeneration scheme in Birmingham is set to transform this historic market site into a people-centred yet sustainable, low-carbon destination. Here, our project director, Stewart Dabin talks about our involvement.

Stewart Dabin

Design Director

Our OFR portfolio spans multiple sectors and multiple countries. From shopping malls in Africa, to a research centre in Antarctica, to Google’s new HQ in London. Recently we’ve expanded that offering again working with the Ministry of Justice on fire strategies as part of a £1bn project that will upgrade four prisons across England.

Richard Rankin

Design Director

We’re big fans of Forever Manchester, donating to the organisation and supporting its events throughout the year. This week, ten of our colleagues showed their love for the charity, attending a birthday party celebration and sponsoring an award, and here our colleague Helen Buckley tells us more.

Helen Buckley

Business Manager

eam, but also with ongoing work on some of the city’s most talked about developments. Here, principal fire engineer, Matt Stallwood talks about how we have been involved at East London’s pioneering Silvertown development.

Matt Stallwood

Principal Engineer

We've been privileged to be involved in some of the UK’s most ground-breaking projects – but it’s our growth within the arts and cultural sector following previous project successes that has seen our team build on its industry-leading experience. Here, our director Andy Passingham talks about how we are providing the knowledge and skills to ensure that heritage buildings such as galleries and museums can continue to be safe and accessible for the public well into the future.

Andy Passingham

Director

Our jobs as fire engineers are always interesting, with a broad portfolio that covers everything from the world’s tallest Octagon-shaped tower to a research station in the Antarctic, to… a new music studio for an 80s pop band. Here we look at some of our most unique OFR projects.

Andy Passingham

Director