Envirograf - Helping To Protect St Pancras Chambers
St Pancras station, shortly after opening...
The Midland Grand soon acquired an excellent reputation as an upmarket, 300-room hotel, charging 14 shillings (70p) a night in 1879 - only six pence (2.5p) more than the luxurious and famed Langham in Portland Place, W1. The building included many innovative features including hydraulic 'ascending chambers', concrete floors, revolving doors and a fireproof floor construction. The Victorian decor was rich, lavish and expensive, with suites of rooms decorated with gold-leafed walls and a blazing fire in every room.
The hotel managed to prosper until after the First World War, but even the Moroccan coffee house and in-house orchestra couldn't protect the hotel from the countrywide decline in the hotel trade.
Into decline
The Midland Grand was taken over by the London, Midland and Scottish Railway in 1922, before closing in 1935 - its facilities were outdated and it had become too expensive to run and refurbish. Now renamed St Pancras Chambers, the premises settled down to a somewhat less glamorous existence as a railway office.
The building survived the bombing raids of the Second World War but found itself threatened with complete demolition in the 1960s. Thankfully, this incredible building was saved from being swept away and was awarded Grade 1 listed status in recognition of its importance as an example of high Victorian Gothic architecture. In the 1980s, the building failed its fire certificate and was closed down, remaining empty for many years.
Renaissance
After several years of intensive redevelopment and refurbishment work, the station is on course to relive former glories, with the rebranded 'St Pancras International' replacing Waterloo as the terminus for Eurostar services. Expected to handle over 45 million travellers annually via a new high-speed rail link across southern England, the station is now being rebuilt as a "grand retail and hospitality destination" featuring Europe's longest champagne bar.
A unique fire protection solution
St Pancras Chambers have enjoyed extensive restoration work with London and Continental Railways working with Manhattan Loft Corporation to turn the once derelict hotel into a 5 star Renaissance Marriott hotel with 244 bedrooms, 2 restaurants, 2 bars, a health and leisure centre, a ballroom, 20 meeting and function rooms, and 67 private apartments and penthouses.
During this restoration work a particular problem was identified that required an innovative solution. Many original lath and plaster ceilings required upgrading to a 60-minute fire rating. These ceilings often included ornate plaster castings dating back to the original construction period and were therefore protected under the Grade 1 rating. These ceilings were also unique in their construction. The laths were fixed to a complex steel beam section suspended from the concrete floor above, so whatever fire protection was to be used, it not only needed to be light in weight but also able to offer an insulation barrier that would prevent these metal beams from buckling in heat, which would inevitably cause the ceiling to collapse.
Fire prevention Products London, were approached and after an extensive survey, developed a solution perfect for the job. The Envirograf EP/CP coating was specified. EP/CP is an intumescent coating that expands in a fire offering an excellent insulation quality to the substrate structure above. However, due to the importance of the building project and the sensitivity of the original features a test was commissioned.
The test house built an exact simulation of the complex ceiling steel structure that also comprised of the lath system. Carried out at Warrington Test House according to the principles of BS 476:Part 20:1987 the test was a total success achieving the 60 minute requirement leading to the Envirograf EP/CP being specified and now used throughout the St Pancras Chambers project, playing a crucial role in restoring the original magnificence of one of London’s most important buildings!
For further information please visit: www.envirograf.com
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