Sertus ShaftPanel™ tackles longstanding challenges in smoke shaft construction

New patent-pending solution helps improve construction-stage safety, reduce remedial works and simplify smoke control damper installation.   

Smoke shaft construction can present significant challenges for main contractors and smoke control specialists, with inaccurate openings, late design changes and coordination difficulties often resulting in unnecessary remedial works, additional costs and programme disruption. 

Sertus, the UK smoke ventilation manufacturer, has developed ShaftPanel™, a patent-pending solution designed to simplify how smoke shaft openings are formed, protected and prepared for smoke control damper installation.  

Tackling a familiar construction challenge   

On many projects, smoke shaft openings are formed before the final smoke control damper requirements have been fully coordinated. 

Late changes to damper sizes, inaccurate structural openings and unclear responsibilities between trades can create problems when installation teams arrive on site. 

Corrective works may involve concrete breakout, additional finishing, temporary grilles, sealing arrangements and repeat visits – all adding complexity to the construction programme. 

Open smoke shafts also present significant construction-stage safety risks, requiring suitable temporary protection and careful coordination of works around exposed openings. 

ShaftPanel™ has been developed to address these challenges earlier in the construction process.    

Richard White, Director at Sertus, explains: 

Smoke shaft openings can create challenges for several different trades, often because the requirements aren't fully coordinated early enough. We developed ShaftPanel™ to simplify that interface, reduce unnecessary work on site and give contractors greater confidence that the opening will be ready when the damper needs to be installed.

A simpler approach from construction to installation    

Designed specifically for the Sertus Shaft Louvre Damper (SLD), ShaftPanel™ provides a pre-assembled interface that accommodates up to 40 mm overall construction tolerance while creating a precise, prepared aperture for final damper installation. 

Its removable temporary infill provides tested construction-stage fall protection and a sealed opening for smoke shaft air leakage testing, before the SLD is installed. 

By incorporating temporary protection into the solution, ShaftPanel™ can reduce the need for separate temporary grilles, scaffolding and confined-space access associated with conventional installation methods, helping contractors manage safety risks and minimise additional site activities. 

The solution also incorporates provision for first-fix cabling, allowing wiring to be accessed from the front. Drylining can be completed up to the panel, while the prepared opening helps reduce additional fire-stopping activities and enables the Sertus SLD to be installed correctly first time, without unnecessary adjustments. 

For main contractors, this offers a more straightforward approach to managing smoke shaft openings throughout construction, with fewer temporary works, reduced trade interfaces and improved programme coordination. 

For smoke control specialists, it means arriving on site to a defined, prepared aperture, significantly reducing the time required to install the Sertus SLD, minimising adjustments and repeat visits, and ultimately reducing time spent on site and disruption to the installation programme. 

Independently tested. Designed for confidence 

ShaftPanel™ has undergone independent testing as part of an assembly with the Sertus SLD, including fire testing to BS EN 1366-10, with EIS 90 and EIS 120 classifications applicable to the relevant tested wall constructions and installation arrangements. 

The solution has also undergone construction-stage barrier load testing to BS 6180:2011, supporting compliance with the relevant protection-from-falling requirements of Approved Document K, alongside impact testing to BS EN 13049 and air leakage testing to BS EN 1026:2016. 

Together, these provide supporting evidence for its performance during construction and final smoke control damper installation, subject to the specified installation arrangement. 

From site challenges to a practical solution 

The development of ShaftPanel™ began with a construction challenge raised by JRL Group, which approached Sertus to explore a new approach to forming and preparing smoke shaft openings, including the concept of a pre-formed sleeve to improve construction safety, efficiency and reduce waste. 

Working collaboratively with JRL Group and drawing on feedback from other main contractors, smoke control specialists and stakeholders across the supply chain, Sertus designed, engineered and tested ShaftPanel™ to address these challenges. 

Through collaborative workshops, site visits, prototype development and on-site trials, Sertus and JRL Group worked together to refine the concept and overcome practical construction challenges, combining JRL's on-site experience with Sertus' engineering, testing and manufacturing expertise. 

This collaborative approach has been put into practice at Brindley Drive, a high-rise residential-led mixed-use development in Birmingham, where ShaftPanel™ has been incorporated across 180 smoke shaft openings in collaboration with Ark M&E and JRL Group. 

The project represents an important early application of ShaftPanel™, demonstrating how manufacturers and contractors can work together to challenge conventional construction methods, simplify on-site processes and make the subsequent installation of the Sertus SLD more predictable. 

Gary Heitmann, Regional Director at Ark M&E / JRL Group, commented on the solution's future application: 

We've seen first-hand the challenges that smoke shaft construction can create on site, particularly when it comes to coordinating openings and preparing them for damper installation. ShaftPanel™ provides a much simpler, more practical approach, helping reduce unnecessary work and making the installation process more predictable. It's a solution we see real value in, and we'll be using ShaftPanel™ on every JRL project going forward.

The potential commercial impact is also significant. An illustrative cost model identifies approximately £825 per opening in conventional construction and remedial activities that ShaftPanel™ may help avoid or mitigate. 

This represents indicative potential costs rather than verified project savings, with actual outcomes dependent on project requirements and site conditions. 

ShaftPanel™ also supports a more sustainable approach to construction. Once removed, the temporary infill panels can be collected by Sertus, refurbished where necessary and reused on future projects. This helps extend their useful life, reduce construction waste and minimise reliance on single-use temporary protection measures. 

The combination of practical project experience, independently tested performance and positive contractor feedback demonstrates how early coordination and a more standardised approach to smoke shaft openings can benefit the wider construction process.  

Get the opening right from the start 

Sertus is now working with contractors and designers to identify live projects where ShaftPanel™ could help simplify smoke shaft construction and installation. 

Project teams are encouraged to engage early, ideally before structural openings are finalised, to coordinate the SLD, ShaftPanel™ and construction requirements. 

About Sertus

Sertus is a UK manufacturer of smoke ventilation products, dedicated to safeguarding lives and property through compliant, expertly engineered solutions. With a vision to be the UK's manufacturer of choice for smoke ventilation, Sertus combines innovation, performance and quality with expert technical support from design through to installation.

Guided by its Make It Simple philosophy, Sertus helps contractors, architects, consultants and developers navigate complex fire safety requirements and deliver safer, more compliant buildings. 

Learn more at sertus.uk. For media enquiries, contact hello@sertus.uk or call 01483 269999.