DFC is pleased to share some recent highlights and insights into our latest endeavours. It has been a whirlwind of positive news! DFC provided fire engineering services on several projects which have been shortlisted for prestigious industry awards. In addition, two projects received the honour of being featured in the Architects’ Journal and the Building Design publications. It’s been such a privilege to see our work highlighted in some of the top industrial publications out there.

Further recent news: construction on two new Manchester residential projects, The Castings, and The Victoria House on Great Ancoats Street has been completed; and we also celebrated the completion of The Viadux Residence with a grand opening event that a few of the DFC team attended. These past months have been both productive and immensely rewarding, and we’re eager to share our success stories with you.

Here are some of our recent highlights.

Image above: Edgbaston Residences, Birmingham – ©MattPickering

Corkfield Residences, Edgbaston: Winner of the Apartment of the Year (Midlands region) at the Insider Midlands Residential Property Awards. DFC played a key role throughout the project’s three phases. The project sets to revitalise Edgbaston Stadium and the surrounding area as a dynamic hub, reshaping the venue into a multifaceted complex for sports, residential, commercial, and community use.

Image above: Birkenhead offices – ©ChristianSmith

Birkenhead offices: Commissioned by Wirral Growth Company for Wirral County Council. This impressive project won two categories at the North West Regional Construction Awards: Sub-Regional Project of the Year, and the Delivering Value Award. The two buildings offer a combined space of approximately 150,000 sq ft. All but one floor of the Mallory building will become Wirral Council’s new civic HQ. The panel of judges determined that this project exemplified excellent collaborative working, delivering Grade A office space at the heart of a key regeneration area.

Image above: Morpeth Sports and Leisure Centre, Northumberland – ©GT3Architects

Morpeth Sports and Leisure Centre, Northumberland: Delivered by Advance Northumberland for Northumberland County Council. The project secured the Community Benefit Award category at the RICS North East Regional Awards and a finalist for the UK Active Awards in New Build or Design of the Year category!

Image above: Tower Works, Leeds – ©AskRealEstate

Tower Works, Leeds: Developed by ASK / Richardson and Ask Real Estate in conjunction with Homes England and Legal & General. The project secured a double win, scooping the Residential Development Project of the Year award at the RICS Yorkshire and Humber Regional Awards and the Residential Project of the Year award at the Constructing Excellence Yorkshire and Humber Awards, as well as being shortlisted for Insider Media Yorkshire Property Awards in the Residential Development of the Year (more than 100 homes category).

The three iconic Italianate towers at Tower Works are preserved and incorporated into the new development, showcasing Leeds’ industrial heritage alongside modern living. Weimiao and the team used their diverse fire engineering skills to combine sympathetic historic preservation with new-build elements. Tower Works is a short walk from our new DFC Leeds office.

“Tower Works was a great project to get involved with and utilise my various skillsets including CFD. The project was so local and I feel proud that I helped the regeneration of a historic site in beautiful Leeds. I am glad that I could be involved from early on right through to completion, see the project taking shape step by step, and feel an instrumental part of that.” (Weimiao, 2024)

Image above: Greenhaus, Salford – ©EricWright

Greenhaus, Salford: Delivered by English Cities Fund (ECF). Shortlisted in three categories at the Inside Housing Development Awards: Best Healthy Homes Development (urban category), Best Development (4+ storeys category), and Best Affordable Housing Development (less than £20m category). Additionally, it achieved Passivhaus Institute certification in July. DFC played a crucial role in contributing to the fire safety design of this innovative project. We are pleased to have played our part in making this innovative, highly sustainable and eco-friendly affordable housing development a reality for Salford.

Matt Whitehead, DFC Associate, commented; “It was an honour to work on this project and contribute to the largest Passivhaus affordable housing scheme in the North West.”

Image above: One City Park, Bradford – ©SheppardRobson

And the good news continues! DFC has played a crucial role in the success of two outstanding projects that have also been recognised in the prestigious Insider Yorkshire Property Industry Awards. These projects are:

One City Park in Bradford, a joint venture between Muse and Bradford Metropolitan District Council, has been shortlisted for three impressive awards – Commercial Development of the Year, Design Excellence Award, and Sustainable Development of the Year.

Similarly, the Yorkshire Cancer Research HQ in Harrogate, delivered by Yorkshire Cancer Research, has been acknowledged in the Refurbishment/Renovation of the Year category. These award nominations are a testament to the dedication and expertise of DFC as the appointed fire engineer on these exceptional projects.

Image above: Leonardo Hotel, Manchester – ©Capital&Centric

A further two recent projects we were involved with, have also been making some noise, not just through awards but also by being featured in industrial leading publications. The Leonardo Hotel, Manchester was spotlighted in Architects’ Journal (AJ) – Building Study section as “Insta Mega Jenga” – quite a catchy title! Additionally, the impressive refurbishment of Heal’s Department Store in London caught the eye of not only in the AJ but also Building Design in their piece “Buckley Gray Yeoman Completes Heal’s Department Store Refurbishment“.

Image above: Heal’s Department Store Refurbishment, London – ©ChriswhartonPhotography

Industry Recognition
These recent accomplishments are a true testament to the dedication and talent of the entire DFC team. Looking back on these eventful months, full of exciting projects, industry recognition, and successful project completions, we can’t help but feel a sense of pride and joy. The positive energy and recognition we’ve received motivates us to keep pushing the boundaries in fire safety engineering and design.

Join Our Team
At DFC, you’ll have the opportunity to join a dynamic fire engineering team as well as working on award-winning projects that showcase the innovative fire safety solutions. Our recent achievements speak for themselves about the calibre of projects we undertake – from the largest Passivhaus development in Salford to cutting-edge construction projects across the region. We value innovation and dedication, and we’re eager to welcome new members who share this passion.

Explore our current vacancies on the Careers page!