The introduction of Gateway 2 under the Building Safety Act and the creation of the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) has fundamentally changed how fire safety systems are reviewed and approved. This is nowhere more evident than in the design of smoke ventilation systems. Gateway 2 is not a conceptual checkpoint, it is a detailed design approval stage, requiring submissions that demonstrate how a building will actually function in a fire scenario.

Who does this apply to?

The Gateway 2 regime came into force in October 2023 and applies to new higher-risk building work submitted for building control approval from that date onwards. Buildings that were already built and occupied before this point are not subject to Gateway 2. Those existing buildings instead fall under the separate in-occupation duties introduced by Part 4 of the Building Safety Act 2022, which include requirements to register with the BSR, maintain a safety case, and engage with residents on building safety matters. The detailed design and approval obligations discussed in this article are therefore a new-build and design-stage concern.

For schemes currently in design, there is also an important upcoming deadline to be aware of. From September 2026, all Gateway 2 building control approval applications that adopt BS 9991:2024 must use the 2024 edition of the standard. Any scheme still referencing BS 9991:2015 at that point will need to demonstrate why, and show that compliance with Building Regulations is still achieved. Teams currently in early design should be working to the 2024 standard now.

A people-centric shift in smoke ventilation

One of the most important changes influencing smoke ventilation design is the move toward a more people-centric approach, as reinforced by BS 9991:2024. Buildings must now be designed to support the safe evacuation of all occupants, including those with impaired mobility. This has led to the requirement for evacuation lifts and in turn fundamentally changes the role of smoke ventilation systems.

Historically, smoke ventilation focused on protecting the stair core to maintain a clear escape route and support firefighting operations. Today, that is no longer sufficient. Designers must also ensure that the evacuation lift lobby remains clear of smoke ingress so that occupants who may need to wait for assisted evacuation can do so safely. This extension of protection significantly increases the complexity of system design and performance requirements.

Limitations of traditional approaches

The recently issued Smoke Control Association (SCA) guidance on Smoke Control to Common Escape Routes in Apartment Buildings (Flats and Maisonettes) has highlighted the risks associated with certain traditional approaches. For example, naturally ventilated corridor and lift lobby arrangements (“natural–natural” systems) may introduce unintended airflow interactions that compromise protected spaces. And in the majority of cases, a “natural-natural” configuration cannot be assumed to provide adequate protection without project-specific detailed assessment.

As per BS 9991:2024, it is no longer adequate for a mechanical smoke ventilation system (MSVS) to rely on comparative CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) analysis to show equivalence to a natural smoke shaft system. Designs must instead demonstrate that defined performance criteria are met — such as preventing smoke from entering the evacuation lift lobby.

Early specialist involvement is essential

Given this increasing complexity, the importance of early specialist involvement cannot be overstated. Smoke ventilation systems must be developed in coordination with the fire strategy, architectural layout, and building services design. A simplistic overview of the smoke ventilation design is unlikely to meet Gateway 2 expectations and could lead to non-approval.

Another important consideration under the Building Safety Act is that smoke ventilation systems now form part of the Fire and Emergency File. This requires designers to clearly document how the system operates, including control arrangements, equipment selection, cause and effect, and any interfaces with other building systems. As a result, the design must not only perform effectively in a fire scenario but also be presented in a way that can be readily understood and used by the responsible person and attending fire and rescue services.

A fundamental shift in mindset

Ultimately, Gateway 2 requires a shift in mindset. Smoke ventilation is no longer about demonstrating compliance with guidance in principle — it is about proving that a system will perform effectively in practice, under real fire conditions. With the September 2026 deadline for mandatory adoption of BS 9991:2024 approaching, the window for schemes to align their designs is narrowing. Engaging a smoke ventilation specialist early in the design process is essential to ensure that systems are fully integrated, compliant, and capable of delivering the required performance.

Speak to a smoke ventilation specialist

Our team can help you navigate BS 9991:2024 compliance, and the Fire and Emergency File from early design stage through to approval.


Updating smoke ventilation systems is one of the most important investments a building owner or council can make in a residential tower block. At Canterbury Tower, an ageing installation no longer met current fire safety standards, Teal Products was appointed to deliver a full upgrade, protecting the building’s 116 flats while keeping disruption to residents to a minimum. This case study explains why the works were needed, how the project was delivered, and what building owners and councils can learn from it.


SCP 500 smoke control panel installed at Canterbury Tower

Why High-Rise Buildings Need a Smoke Ventilation System Upgrade

Many UK residential tower blocks were built in the 1960s and 1970s. Their original smoke control infrastructure often predates modern fire safety regulations. Ageing extraction fans, manual dampers, and outdated control panels are common across this era of housing stock.

As regulations evolve, buildings must keep pace. A well-designed smoke extraction system clears smoke quickly from stairwells and corridors, protecting residents’ escape routes during a fire. Councils and building owners have a legal duty to keep these life safety systems compliant and functional, and insurers increasingly expect evidence of regular review.

Canterbury Tower is a clear example, its fire ventilation infrastructure had become outdated relative to current standards. Left unaddressed, an ageing system like this can leave residents exposed and building owners in breach of their statutory obligations.


BG3/FOS manual call point installed at Canterbury Tower

The Challenge: Upgrading Smoke Control in an Occupied Tower Block

Upgrading a fire and smoke control system in an occupied high-rise building is never straightforward. Every stage of design and installation has to work around residents’ daily lives, existing services, and the building’s fire strategy. Canterbury Tower presented four distinct challenges.

Working Within an Existing Structure

The smoke extraction infrastructure had to be carefully assessed and integrated with the new equipment. Engineers surveyed existing ductwork, dampers, and control wiring in detail. They worked without compromising the building’s fabric or fire compartmentation at any stage.

Meeting Current Fire Safety Regulations

The upgrade needed to align with current smoke control regulations for residential high-rise buildings. This included reliable smoke clearance from common escape routes such as stairwells and corridors, tested and verified on completion.

Minimising Disruption to Residents

With 116 occupied flats, the works required careful sequencing. The project team maintained safe means of escape throughout construction, while limiting noise, access restrictions, and general impact on residents’ daily lives.

Enabling Ongoing Monitoring and Control

Facilities staff and responding fire services needed a simple way to monitor and operate the upgraded system. Critically, this had to work reliably without requiring specialist technical knowledge on-site, even during a high-pressure emergency response.

The Solution: A Modern, Compliant Smoke Ventilation System

Teal Products delivered a full upgrade of the fire and smoke control installation at Canterbury Tower. The new system was designed to meet current regulatory standards for smoke clearance in residential tower blocks, from initial survey through to final commissioning.

A dedicated monitoring point now sits on the ground floor. An HDMI screen, housed within a secure lockbox, provides a real-time visual interface for the Smoke Control System, giving authorised staff instant access to status information.

This gives building staff and emergency responders a fast, at-a-glance view of system status. Faster access to information supports quicker, better-informed decisions during a fire event, when every minute matters.

The team paid close attention to three priorities throughout delivery:

  1. Integration with the building’s existing escape routes and fire strategy
  2. Reliability and ease of use for ongoing monitoring of the smoke control equipment
  3. Compliance with fire safety and smoke control regulations for residential high-rise buildings

Products Installed

The upgrade at Canterbury Tower included the following equipment:


HDMI touchscreen interface installed for the smoke control system at Canterbury Tower

The Result: Improved Fire Safety and Peace of Mind

Following completion, Canterbury Tower now benefits from a modern, compliant fire and smoke control installation. Residents, the managing agent, and local fire services all gain measurable improvements:

  • Improved smoke clearance from escape routes in the event of a fire
  • A secure, accessible monitoring point via the ground floor HDMI screen and lockbox
  • Confidence that the building’s life safety systems meet current standards
  • A clear maintenance and monitoring routine for facilities staff to follow

This project reflects a wider truth about ageing housing stock across the UK. According to the National Fire Chiefs Council, ongoing maintenance and modernisation of fire safety systems remains a priority for high-rise residential buildings nationwide, particularly as regulatory scrutiny of tall buildings continues to increase.

Why Building Owners and Councils Should Act Now

A smoke ventilation system upgrade is not simply a compliance exercise. It is a direct investment in resident safety, insurance standing, and long-term asset value.

Ageing systems increase risk during a fire event and can expose building owners to regulatory and reputational consequences. Councils managing multiple high-rise assets face this challenge at scale, often across a portfolio of buildings from the same era.

Acting proactively, rather than reactively, allows works to be planned and sequenced with minimal disruption. It also demonstrates a clear, visible commitment to resident welfare.

Conclusion

The Canterbury Tower project shows what a well-planned smoke ventilation system upgrade can achieve in an occupied, high-rise residential building. Building owners and councils gained a modern, compliant system, improved resident safety, and long-term peace of mind.

If your building’s smoke ventilation system needs assessing or upgrading, don’t wait for a compliance issue to force the decision. Contact Teal Products today to discuss a tailored smoke ventilation system upgrade for your residential or commercial building.

Fire safety legislation moves forward, and the systems installed in buildings decades ago do not always keep pace. For many retirement housing developments built in the early 1990s, smoke ventilation systems are reaching the end of their effective working life, leaving building managers and responsible persons facing a critical question: is the existing system still fit for purpose?

This was the precise challenge Teal Products was appointed to resolve at Honnington Court, a three-storey retirement development in the West Midlands, originally constructed in 1991. In this case study, we explore how Teal Products assessed the legacy system, specified a modern replacement, and delivered a fully coordinated smoke ventilation solution that meets today’s standards.

If your building’s smoke ventilation system is ageing, this project offers a clear illustration of what a structured, manufacturer-backed upgrade can look like.

The Challenge: A 1990s Fire Safety System Past Its Best

When Honnington Court was constructed in 1991, it was fitted with a smoke ventilation system using magnetically operated smoke vents, the accepted technology of that era. Over the intervening decades, both the equipment and the regulatory landscape have evolved considerably.

Buildings of this type, particularly those housing older residents, require particular attention when it comes to passive fire safety. In the event of a fire, effective smoke control can be the difference between a managed evacuation and a life-threatening situation.

Residents in retirement developments may have limited mobility, making it essential that smoke is cleared rapidly and reliably from communal corridors and stairwells, giving both residents and the fire service the best possible conditions to act.

The Brief: Assess, Specify, and Install

Teal Products was appointed to carry out a full assessment of the existing smoke ventilation system at Honnington Court and to specify a modern, compliant replacement. The key objectives were straightforward:

  • Deliver a system capable of effectively venting smoke across all three floors in the event of a fire
  • Ensure the solution was compatible with the building’s existing fire alarm infrastructure
  • Accommodate a variety of window types throughout the development
  • Provide a long-term, low-maintenance solution appropriate for a retirement housing setting

“Teal Products ensured full compatibility between the control panel, override switches, and AOV Windows, simplifying both installation and ongoing maintenance.”

The Solution: A Modern Smoke Ventilation System

Following a thorough site assessment, Teal Products specified a fully coordinated smoke ventilation system built around WindowMaster’s trusted range of controls alongside the SV-W-W1 and SV-W-W2 AOV Façade Windows

WindowMaster FlexiSmoke WSC 520 Control Panel

At the core of the new system is a WindowMaster FlexiSmoke WSC 520 Control Panel, installed on the ground floor. This panel forms the central hub of the entire smoke ventilation strategy, coordinating the activation of ventilation windows across all zones of the building.

The panel was integrated with Honnington Court’s existing fire alarm system via addressable interfaces. Each interface was programmed to activate within its respective fire zone, ensuring a targeted and proportionate response rather than a building-wide activation for a single zone incident.


WindowMaster FlexiSmoke WSC 520 Smoke Ventilation Control Panel

SV-W-W1 and SV-W-W2 AOV Façade Windows

A mixture of SV-W-W1 and SV-W-W2 AOV Façade Windows SV-W-W1 and SV-W-W2 AOV Façade Windows were installed to automate the opening of the vent in the instance of smoke. One of the defining challenges at Honnington Court was the mix of window styles across the building, with a combination of side-hung and top-hung openings across three floors. The SV-W-W1 and SV-W-W2 AOV Façade Windows were selected specifically for this reason.

Windowmaster WSK 501 Manual Override Switches

Four WindowMaster WSK 501 Manual Override Switches were installed at clearly accessible locations throughout the building. These provide authorised personnel and the fire service with direct, on-site control of the ventilation system, whilst also allowing for routine testing and maintenance of the smoke ventilation system, an essential feature in any multi-storey residential development.


WindowMaster WSK 501 Manual Call Point

How Does the Smoke Ventilation System Work?

The system operates through a clear sequence of events designed to respond rapidly to a fire alarm activation:

  1. A smoke alarm is triggered within a fire zone at Honnington Court.
  2. The alarm signal is transmitted to the WindowMaster FlexiSmoke WSC 520 Control Panel.
  3. The WindowMaster WSC 520 FlexiSmoke WSC 520 Control Panel triggers the SV-W-W1 or SV-W-W2 AOV Façade Window on the affected floor.
  4. The AOV Window opens, allowing smoke to escape and improving conditions for residents and the fire service.

This zone-by-zone approach is a key strength of the design. Rather than opening all windows simultaneously across the building, the system activates ventilation only where it is needed, creating the most effective smoke extraction conditions on the affected floor whilst maintaining building security elsewhere.

Why This Approach Worked for a Retirement Development

Retirement housing presents a distinctive set of challenges that influence every aspect of a fire safety specification. Residents may have reduced mobility, take longer to respond to alarms, and require systems that operate without demanding complex interaction from building occupants.

By specifying a complete, single-manufacturer system from WindowMaster, Teal Products ensured end-to-end compatibility between every component. This not only simplified the installation process but also reduces the risk of component conflicts that can arise when systems are assembled from multiple suppliers, a common pitfall in retrofit projects.

The Outcome: A Safer Honnington Court

Honnington Court now benefits from a modern, fully coordinated smoke ventilation system built to meet today’s fire safety standards. The building’s residents, management team, and the fire service can rely on a system that responds automatically, rapidly, and precisely in the event of a fire.

The manual override switches provide authorised personnel with direct control at each point of need, while the automated WindowMaster system handles the critical first moments of any incident without requiring human intervention.

This project demonstrates Teal Products’ expertise in assessing legacy passive fire safety systems and delivering tailored, manufacturer-backed replacements that genuinely serve the needs of the building and those who live in it.

Is Your Building’s Smoke Ventilation System Up to Standard?

If your development was constructed before 2000 and has not had its smoke ventilation system assessed in recent years, it is worth arranging a professional review. Fire safety legislation continues to evolve, and systems that were compliant at the point of installation may no longer meet current standards.

A smoke ventilation system for retirement housing carries particular responsibility. The case of Honnington Court shows that even a building with a three-decade-old system can be brought fully up to standard with the right specification and the right products, without disruption to residents.

Teal Products specialises in smoke ventilation assessments and system upgrades for residential, retirement, and commercial developments. Contact our team today to discuss your building’s requirements.