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 Ageing extraction fans, manual dampers, and outdated control panels are common across this era of housing stock.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Canterbury Tower is a clear example, its fire ventilation infrastructure had become outdated relative to current standards.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.