Student Accommodation Recladding, Birmingham

The Opportunity

When a purpose-built student accommodation development in Birmingham was identified as requiring full external wall recladding, the building owner faced one of the most significant regulatory challenges in the post-Grenfell era: navigating the requirements of the Building Safety Act 2022 and securing Gateway 2 approval before any element of the new façade could be installed.

Our Approach

Anstey Horne was appointed to provide specialist fire engineering support throughout both the design and regulatory phases of the project. Working closely with the wider design team, we helped develop the detailed recladding design, ensuring that fire safety considerations were embedded at every stage. Our input covered key aspects of the scheme, including cladding system selection, cavity barrier strategy, and the detailing of critical interfaces and junctions.
A central element of our appointment was leading the Gateway 2 submission to the Building Safety Regulator. As the principal regulatory gateway under the Higher-Risk Building regime, Gateway 2 approval must be secured before construction can legally commence. Achieving approval requires a robust, evidence-based submission demonstrating compliance with all relevant fire safety requirements.

Through careful coordination of technical information, close collaboration with the project team, and a rigorous approach to the submission process, Anstey Horne successfully secured Gateway 2 approval within 12 weeks—an excellent outcome within a demanding and continually evolving regulatory environment.
With approval in place, the project has progressed into construction. Anstey Horne continues to support the scheme in an ongoing Guardian role, providing independent oversight to ensure that the approved design intent is maintained throughout delivery. This gives the client confidence that the required fire safety performance will be achieved in the completed building.