Staffordshire University Student Residence & Clarice Cliff Fire Stopping Scheme

Staffordshire University Student Residence & Clarice Cliff Buildings and Village Hub

Project Overview

Location: Staffordshire University, Stoke-on-Trent, UK
Main Contractor: Willmott Dixon
Fire Stopping Contractor: GRJ Contracting Ltd
Products:  Nullifire FB750 Intubatt, Nullifire FR230 Intucompound Fire Mortar, Nullifire FS709 HP Sealant , Nullifire FS702 Sealant Nullifire FS719 HP Blue Sealant and Nullifire FP302 Intustrap
Project Value: £120 million
Scope: Large-scale student accommodation and refurbishment project

The Project

The scheme consists of firestopping solutions to the Staffordshire University Student Residence and Clarice Cliff buildings as well as the village hub. This is a major £120 million development designed to deliver approximately 1,000 new student bedrooms alongside the refurbishment of the existing Clarice Cliff and Village Hub.

The accommodation is arranged across multiple blocks, with clusters of approximately 200 bedrooms, creating a modern living environment supported by shared communal and hub facilities.

A key feature of the build for the village hub is the use of cross-laminated timber (CLT), with 200mm thick walls forming part of the structural system.

Applications included service penetrations within CLT walls, mechanical and electrical service routes, and other critical junctions throughout the accommodation blocks and hub areas.

Nullifire products were specified to support fire stopping requirements across the development, working in partnership with specialist contractor GRJ Contracting Ltd

Project Solution

Given the scale of the development and the complexity introduced by CLT construction and high volumes of service penetrations, an efficient and reliable fire stopping solution was essential.

Nullifire’s FB750 Intubatt system was selected to provide effective compartmentation and sealing of service penetrations throughout the building. Supporting products included FS709 HP Sealant, FS702 and FS719 HP Blue Sealants, FP302, and FR230 for wall penetrations.

These products offered proven fire performance, ease of installation, and the flexibility to suit a wide range of applications.

To further enhance on-site efficiency, GRJ Contracting Ltd implemented an innovative installation approach. FB750 Intubatt boards were pre-drilled in advance, allowing them to act as templates for MEP contractors to feed services through.

This method significantly reduced the need for on-site cutting and reworking, accelerating installation while maintaining consistency, quality, and compliance across all areas.

Application

The FB750 Intubatt  system was installed across key areas of the development to maintain fire compartmentation and prevent the spread of fire.

The pre-drilled batt approach enabled faster installation while ensuring a precise fit around services such as electrical cabling and pipework. This contributed to a more efficient on-site workflow and supported the project’s demanding programme.

Across the student accommodation scheme, pre-drilled hole sizes were incorporated into template firestopping batts, allowing both bedroom entry services and mechanical penetrations to be installed within a single, consistent penetration detail across all 800 bedrooms. The use of these templates ensured that the required annulus was maintained, supporting accurate and compliant installation.

This standardised approach enabled consistent setting out across all penetrations, aligning with the project’s fire strategy and performance requirements. By implementing pre-drilled templates, installation time was significantly reduced while maintaining compliance throughout the programme works.

Throughout the project, collaboration between Willmott Dixon, GRJ Contracting Ltd, and Nullifire ensured that fire stopping solutions were implemented effectively and in line with performance requirements.

“We chose to work with Nullifire due to the proven performance of their products and the flexibility they offered on this project. By pre-drilling the FB750 Intubatt, we were able to significantly reduce installation time and improve efficiency across the programme.”
 Harvey Braime, Contracts Manager, GRJ Contracting Ltd

With its completion set for Summer 2026, the Staffordshire University development will provide high-quality student accommodation supported by a strong fire safety strategy. Through the use of Nullifire’s FB750 Intubatt system and an innovative approach to the installation, the project demonstrates how efficiency and compliance can be achieved on large-scale, time-sensitive developments.

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