The largest ever fire curtain assembled for commercial use in the UK which was used to separate building work from the live terminal at Stansted Airport was supplied by Firetherm.

The 12m x 160m fire certain was installed to act as a temporary fire break between the construction zone and the main terminal at Stansted to protect passengers and staff from the risk of fire and smoke.

The extension project which commenced in April 2007, was part of an ongoing programme to develop and expand the UK's third busiest airport. The Airport’s main terminal had to remain open and live throughout the project necessitating the need to erect a fire barrier.

BAA had highlighted the need for any barrier to retain the ambient temperature of the terminal. In order to withstand the differential air pressures created by the existing terminal’s air conditioning an extra thick and tough fire retardant material with a 90 minute rating was used to create the curtain and a bespoke supporting detail was designed to withstand the conditions and prevent breaches forming in the barrier.

The installation was carried out by SBS London Ltd working alongside Mace Group’s demolition team. It involved affixing the supplied rolls of curtain fabric mechanically to the top of the building. Strips were bolted to a metal punch strip and screw-fixed to the circular hollow sections of the terminals roof beams. Once attached the glass could be removed and the curtain sections were un furled like a roller blind and bolted to floor angles which were screwed to the floor. The strips were then stapled together to form a robust smoke-tight barrier.