Wimbledon Quarter

• Client: Romulus
• Sector: Retail
• Services: Firestopping & Commercial Decorating
• Region: Wimbledon, London
• Size: 315,000 sq. ft
• Project Value: £1 million

Project Overview

For more than 30 years, Centre Court was a shopping centre at the heart of Wimbledon. Customers came from the local area and farther afield to visit the range of retail outlets. 

The centre lost one of its focal points in 2019, when Debenhams closed its department store after the company went into administration.  

Two years later, the centre was purchased by Romulus, a leading property development and investment company, which set in motion a major transformation.  

In November 2023, the newly rebranded Wimbledon Quarter opened, featuring a wider range of occupants and a more open and welcoming ambience for the people of the area.  

As London’s favourite specialist decorating and fire protection sub-contractor, Sentinel was delighted to be invited by Romulus to work with Fletcher Priest Architects, the company designing the new centre. Our task was to design, supply and install passive fire protection throughout the development, and to provide commercial decorating services.  

The work delivered by Sentinel was key to the successful transformation of one of south-west London’s biggest public retail and leisure locations.  

As experts in fire protection, we were able to cope with the challenge of installing firestopping measures while the centre, which was first open in 1992, stayed open for business for more than 50 retail brands.  

The new Wimbledon Quarter is designed to be an environmentally friendly hub. One of its features is a retractable roof over the central courtyard, which can be opened on fine days to allow fresh air in.  Where Debenhams used to stand, a luxury health centre and spa has opened, featuring a 25-metre swimming pool and extensive studio space. The revitalised area is now so much more than a shopping centre. It’s a community-orientated space that has earned plenty of praise from visitors. 

Project Brief

Clients trust Sentinel to deliver built-in fire protection solutions as the industry’s leading practitioners. We were asked to design the passive fire provision throughout the new Wimbledon quarter, and to carry out its supply and installation. 

Our first step was to conduct a full survey of the existing fire protection measures at the old shopping centre, and to advise the client on its suitability, given the imminent transformation of the site.  The client wanted to retain some of the existing firestopping on the steelwork structure. These measures would have been compliant in the past, but they did not meet current standards.  

Our solution was to design interfaces between different board systems that would permit the retention of the historic fire protection while enhancing its effectiveness to meet present-day passive fire protection regulations. 

As well as creating a firestopping solution for the primary structure, Sentinel was also involved in the upgrading of the passive fire protection for the composite metal decking supporting the new swimming pool. 

As the UK’s preferred specialist decorating contractor, we were also asked to provide protective coatings to the metal decking and decorative intumescent paint fire protection to the steelwork above the swimming pool. This had to be of a standard that complied with the demands of a C4 environment.   

Challenges / Solution

Our initial survey identified that the existing fire protection for the primary beams would not comply with current regulations. It would have to be removed and replaced by a new fire protection board system. 

At the same time, we established that the secondary steelwork fire protection was still fit for purpose – provided it was not damaged or disturbed. 

Our team installed Promat Promatect-250, a non-combustible form of passive fire protection that works well on steel structures and mezzanine floors. 

All our knowledge and experience were necessary for this task – and for the installation of a Supalux suspended ceiling that would provide 120 minutes of fire protection. 

This is a calcium silicate board reinforced with selected fibres and fillers that is classified A1 non-combustible. It’s off-white in colour with a smooth finish, which means it can be left undecorated or easily finished with paint.  

This job was particularly challenging because our team had to work around the existing beams. Our extensive expertise in passive fire protection came to the fore and ensured the installation proceeded smoothly and effectively.  

Similarly, Sentinel provided appropriate passive fire protection measures to the floors immediately below and above the swimming pool. The steelwork over the pool was going to be subject to high humidity and airborne chemicals. The system we deployed needed to be resistant to moisture and chemicals, decorative and effective in firestopping.    

As well as our innovative fire protection work, our specialist decorators sprayed the decking with a variety of paints.  

The Result

The innovation and expertise displayed by Sentinel on this project saved our client several thousand pounds. If they had had to replace all the fire protection measures throughout the development, it would have been far more costly than the solution we developed.  

The system we proposed and delivered, which was signed off by the building control officer overseeing the project, managed to incorporate much of the existing provision.  

It also made the project much more sustainable thanks to the savings made on materials and transport delivery costs and cutting down residual waste from new materials.   

The lower carbon footprint involved aligned with the environmentally friendly vision around the development and the resulting transformed location.   

We were extremely pleased with the overall outcome of our work at Wimbledon Quarter, which is proving a popular destination for shoppers and other visitors.  

Alexander Woolf, COO of Romulus, said: “The new brand represents our commitment to creating a space that reflects Wimbledon, embracing the local community and providing opportunities for everyone to connect, engage and thrive.”