Leading fire engineering consultancy, OFR Consultants has seen further expansion this year already with the appointment of two new colleagues in the capital. Joining the 115-strong London-based team, is fire engineer Milad Mansouri and graduate, Lizzie Pickup.

Milad, a Fire CFD Engineer and Lizzie, whose university thesis focussed on fire safety in informal settlements and refugee camps, have join OFR at an exciting time for the business. In London, the team has continued to be involved with some of the city’s most exciting developments including East London’s landmark Silvertown development, on behalf of developer, Lendlease.

The masterplan for the 50 acre Silvertown site, will see a huge transformation for this underdeveloped area of East London, bringing homes, offices, leisure, cultural and community space here. The OFR team has been assisting with the fire strategy for the £3.5bn dockside regeneration development, where plans were submitted a few weeks ago, following consultation with the local residential and business community.

OFR project manager, Matt Stallwood explained: “We have been appointed extensively across the site as it progresses through the development stages, prioritising sustainability by incorporating Modern Methods of Construction (MMC) to reduce construction time and have a positive effect on reducing carbon emissions, whilst also assessing the complexities relating to fire safety.

“We are assisting with the Masterplan development for the entire development as well as on RIBA Stages 2 – 4 for Plots 6, 7, 8 Millennium Mills and 1D/2D. We have also been appointed for RIBA stage 2 of plot 1 plot 1J.”

The OFR team is currently the sole fire engineering consultancy across the plots, where the scheme primarily comprises of new residential buildings. The landmark Millennium Mills, which will be transformed to a commercial purpose is a collection of listed buildings which presents the challenge of trying to retain as much as possible while still meeting the requirements of current standards.

Milad spoke about joining the OFR team, which has grown to 115 people across seven UK offices since it was established in 2016, he said: “I am excited by the breadth of work that OFR is involved in both here in London, throughout the UK and overseas. I look forward to contributing my knowledge and experience – as an Aerospace Engineering graduate, I have since held roles at various consultancies and developed my career working on many major projects including the Sail Tower and Maad Towers in Saudi and Westfield London White City. 2023 is certainly a great time to be joining the business and embracing the opportunities of working within the sector at this time.”