In the UK, the construction environment has changed dramatically over the last 10 years, specifically as a result of the devastating Grenfell tragedy, with fire safety within the built environment, as well as the combustibility of certain modern building materials, becoming a major consideration for both the public and the authorities. So it comes as no surprise that the capabilities and competence of specialist companies providing first-class services to respond to these considerations are increasingly required. One such company is Miller Knight, a multi-discipline Principal Contractor providing complex and sensitive regeneration and refurbishment projects, with specialist divisions dedicated to remedial passive and structural fire protection.
The company is also a leading UK domestic construction and fire compliance provider and demand for its services is increasing. “The last seven years have been a period of steep growth for the company, as fire protection requirements have become stricter, with building safety becoming a top priority for developers, builders and asset managers,” says CEO David Dickson. “What was accepted before, is not accepted anymore. Over those seven years, we have helped many clients to remedy issues that they didn’t know they even had.”
He explains that the company provides a one-stop solution that may include cladding replacement, passive fire protection, intumescent coatings, cavity barriers, fire curtains, structural boarding and more. In addition, Miller Knight also offers fire safety facility management as well as building regeneration.
“We carry most of the work out in-house. We have all the relevant accreditations to certify our works and sign the building off as safe at the end of the project. With the exception of a few specialized types of work, we don’t need to sub-contract anything. This allows us not only to be cost-effective and cost-competitive but also to be fast, efficient and streamlined as we have direct control over the resources.”
Exceeding expectations
Dickson himself joined Miller Knight in 2016 when the company was facing liquidation and effectively turned the business around. “With the exception of a few years during the pandemic, we have never stopped growing since then, improving the business and winning prime clients.”
“We will turn over in the region of £50 million this year, which is nearly double the amount we achieved last year. Looking at the size of the business compared to what it was in 2016, with just under a million in turnover, we can be proud of the impressive progress we have made, a testament to our dedication and commitment to providing exceptional work for our clients.”
He points out that Miller Knight works for a limited number of large clients such as insurers, portfolio managers, asset managers, developers and pension funds, in other words entities that have a large portfolio of assets to remediate.
The list of projects that the company has completed is long and varied. Dickson highlights the recent remedial work at the Gateway student accommodation in Lincoln, an eight-storey establishment, accommodating 500 bed spaces for students at the University of Lincoln.
The project, in which Miller Knight was the Principal Contractor, involved installing remedial fire protection features to the entirety of the building to meet building compliance and fire safety regulations.
“The project included a large package of internal and external works ranging from remediating non-compliant compartmentation, fire door renewal and new sprinklers, to fire alarm system installations, external facade modifications and the installation of compliant fire barriers and insulating material,” says Dickson.
All the works were conducted to a high standard and in line with current fire safety standards, certified with a FIRAS certificate of conformity and monitored through audit trails, for the building to welcome students in the next academic year.
Ahead of the curve
Dickson affirms that the company strives to work in an environmentally friendly manner as much as possible, with a focus on carbon reduction, minimizing emissions and sourcing materials and labour locally. “As a business, we are trying to improve our carbon footprint and to make sure that we are using the most efficient and economic methods and skills to effectively carry out the projects.”
He further points out that when it comes to digitization, the company is ahead of the curve. For quite some time, every item of the remedial work has needed to be digitally recorded so the information on what has been installed, where it has been installed, how it was designed, who it was approved by could be available and ready to be handed over to the client and to be used throughout the life cycle of the building.
“The challenge that we are facing now is the new Building Safety Act that has introduced sweeping reforms changing the way buildings are designed, constructed and managed. The Act applies to all new or existing occupied buildings over 18 metres high, which is basically the area where we operate. We are now in the process of understanding what is required to effectively proceed with those works that we had already started before the Act came into force.”
“However, we are confident that once we get through that learning curve over the next six months or so, we’ll be able to really get on with the schemes and keep delivering high-value projects. We already meet many of the new requirements anyway, so we are fairly comfortable that what we’re doing now will satisfy the Safety Regulator.”
Controlled growth
Speaking about the future, Dickson affirms that while opportunities are manifold and will be increasing, this will not necessarily result in an increase in the size of his business. “Ultimately businesses are all about people working together. We will focus on delivering a good job, a quality product. We are not going after expansion, as we may lose the connection that we all have at the moment. That connection drives our culture, and that is why we are different.”
He acknowledges that Miller Knight has been investing substantially in training, in order to secure a capable, home-grown workforce. “The market out there is massive, but our turnover has been increasing primarily because the projects are generally getting bigger, not purely because we increase staff numbers.”
That is also the anticipated pattern in the coming months and years. “We will strive to deliver high-quality schemes for the large clients that we work for, and to continue to grow the business as we have done so far, i.e. on the basis of our ability to complete large, complex fire safety projects to our clients’ utmost satisfaction.”
