Crockers Building, Epsom
Fire Damage Remediation

TPW

LOCATION

Epsom, Auckland

SERVICE

Fire Damage Remediation

The Challenge

The fire at the Crockers Building had done more than mark the surfaces. It had destroyed the passive fire protection on the structural steel while leaving soot across the building, so the project needed to address compliance and protection together rather than treat the damage as a cosmetic repaint. Both the visible finish and the underlying fire performance needed attention before the building could be considered restored.

Our Approach

BlastOff soda blasted and sandblasted every affected surface to remove all trace of soot, selecting the method suited to each substrate across the building. With the surfaces clean, protective coatings were applied to the remediated areas and new intumescent paint was applied to all steel members, rebuilding the fire performance that had been lost in a single coordinated programme spanning cleaning, coating and fire protection.

The Outcome

The Crockers Building came out of the programme cleaned, protected and compliant again. Passive fire protection on the structural steel was reinstated alongside fresh protective coatings, addressing both the surface damage and the fire performance in one accountable scope covering cleaning, coating and fire protection together.

Rebuilding Both the Finish and the Fire Protection at the Crockers Building, Epsom

The fire at the Crockers Building in Epsom left behind more than a dirty finish. It destroyed the passive fire protection on the structural steel while also spreading soot across the building, which meant the reinstatement had to address compliance and appearance together rather than treating the job as a cosmetic repaint. Passive fire protection isn’t something that can be assumed back into place by painting over damaged intumescent coatings, and a building can look clean while its steel is still under-protected.

BlastOff carried out a full fire damage remediation programme covering both issues in one accountable scope. Soda blasting and sandblasting were used across every affected surface to remove all trace of soot, with the method selected to suit each substrate rather than applying one process building-wide. With the surfaces brought back to a clean baseline, protective coatings were applied to the remediated areas, and new intumescent paint was applied to all the affected steel members to rebuild the fire performance that had been lost.

Running cleaning, coating and fire protection as a single coordinated programme meant the building came out the other side both looking right and performing right, with its passive fire protection reinstated alongside the fresh coatings rather than as an afterthought. For owners of commercial buildings where a fire has affected structural steel, the key point is that soot removal and passive fire reinstatement are two different problems that need to be scoped together from the start, not discovered separately once the repaint is already underway. Getting a specification-led assessment of the steel early, alongside a clear read on how far the soot contamination has spread through the building, avoids surprises further into the programme and keeps the compliance and cosmetic work moving on the same timeline instead of one holding up the other.