Scientific Smoke Leakage Testing for Fire Doors
Providing independent, objective measurement of smoke containment performance Supporting fire door inspectors, landlords and Responsible Persons with clear, defensible scientific evidence.
UK Building Regulations require fire doors to restrict smoke leakage (the ‘S’ classification).
This performance is defined by laboratory testing — but is rarely verified once doors are installed.
London Quarter provides in-situ measurement of smoke leakage, giving building owners evidence that installed doors meet regulatory performance expectations. Inspection identifies defects.
We quantify smoke containment performance.
About
our company
Fire doors can move, wear, be adjusted, decorated, resealed or fall out of alignment over time. Visual inspection remains essential, but it does not quantify smoke leakage. London Quarter provides independent scientific measurement to support inspectors, Responsible Persons, landlords and asset managers with clearer evidence for decisions on risk, repair and replacement.
Why owners use us
to understand whether doors that look acceptable are actually containing smoke adequately;
to identify where limited budgets should be spent first;
to avoid unnecessary full replacement programmes where targeted remedial work may be enough;
to add objective evidence to support decisions with residents, insurers, assessors, contractors and internal and external governance.
The Problem:
Why smoke containment is often misunderstood
Fire doors are typically tested when new, under controlled laboratory conditions.
In real buildings, however:
Doors and frames move over time
Seals degrade or are altered
Installation tolerances vary
Everyday use changes performance
Fire door inspections are essential and identify visible issues — but they do not accurately measure: How much smoke actually passes through a door set in its current condition.
The Solution:
Objective, scientific measurement
London Quarter was founded in 2016 and provides specialist smoke leakage testing, delivering:
Quantified air and smoke permeability
Comparable performance data
Clear identification of underperforming doors
Scientific evidence to support decision-making
Who We Work With
We don’t replace fire door inspectors - we enhance the service they provide.
In partnership with the Responsible Person, London Quarter carries out targeted smoke and air leakage testing across the UK, identifying and quantifying leakage that can compromise smoke containment.
We work with:
The Responsible Person - to assist meeting legal obligations
Fire door inspectors
Fire door contractors
Fire door engineers
Managing agents
Landlords & freeholders
Surveyors & asset managers
Our approach combines precision testing, detailed analysis, and clear reporting, enabling Responsible Persons to make confident, informed decisions to support safety and regulatory compliance.
We provide a scientific layer that complements visual inspections
Our Services
Why Scientific Measurement of Smoke Containment Matters
Smoke containment is a performance issue — not just a visual one
From laboratory evidence to in-service performance
The regulatory and standards framework relies on smoke-control test evidence for doorsets. As fire safety practice becomes more evidence-led, owners increasingly need better visibility of how installed doors are performing in service — not just how they performed when new.
Product smoke-control testing such as BS EN 1634-3 is used to classify a doorset’s smoke-leakage performance, usually under controlled laboratory conditions.
Product smoke-control testing such as BS EN 1634-3 is used to classify a doorset’s smoke-leakage performance, usually under controlled laboratory conditions.
What can change after installation
Small differences in the complete installed assembly can significantly affect performance. In practice, seals can degrade, gaps can increase, alignment can shift, and maintenance or later alterations can change the result. GOV.UK guidance already focuses on seals, gaps and closure because those details matter.
Where London Quarter adds value
We work alongside inspectors to provide scientific, in-situ evidence that helps clients identify underperforming doors, target remediation and avoid unnecessary blanket replacement.
Fire doors are designed to limit the spread of smoke and are typically tested when new under controlled laboratory conditions.
Buildings are not static.
Over time:
Doors and frames move
Seals degrade or are altered
Installation tolerances vary
Ongoing use changes performance
The critical question is not how a door was designed to perform - It is how it performs today, in its actual environment
Smoke leakage is fundamentally an air leakage problem
Smoke passes through:
Perimeter gaps
Thresholds
Interfaces between door, frame and surrounding structure
These leakage paths are often small — but their impact can be significant.
Visual inspection can identify defects, but it cannot quantify:
How much smoke is actually passing through a door set
Why this matters
In most fire scenarios:
Smoke — not flames — is the primary threat to life
Without measurement:
Some doors may be replaced unnecessarily
Others may remain in service despite potential poor performance
Prioritisation becomes subjective
This creates uncertainty for Responsible Persons, managing agents and landlords.
From assumption to evidence
London Quarter provides scientific smoke leakage testing, measuring performance in situ.
This introduces:
Objective, quantified data
Clear identification of underperforming doors
Greater confidence in risk assessment
Evidence to support informed, defensible decisions
Working alongside inspections
Fire door inspections remain essential.
They identify:
Damage
Installation issues
Visible defects
We complement this by providing:
Objective measurement of performance
Together, this creates a more complete and robust understanding of fire door performance.
A more targeted and cost-effective approach
Scientific measurement enables:
Identification of genuinely underperforming doors
Repair-led strategies where appropriate
Avoidance of unnecessary full replacement
More effective allocation of capital expenditure
Independent and data-led
We do not manufacture, install or repair fire doors.
Our role is to provide:
Independent measurement
Objective reporting
Clear, unbiased evidence
Aligned with the direction of travel in fire safety
Fire safety regulation and industry standards are evolving toward more robust, evidence-based approaches to performance and compliance.
There is increasing focus on:
Smoke control
Measurable outcomes
Demonstrable performance
Scientific measurement provides a forward-looking layer of assurance aligned with this direction of travel.
A more informed standard of assessment
Fire doors are tested when new.
London Quarter measures how they perform in reality.
People - Meet the Team
London Quarter brings together expertise in property, building performance and fire door assessment, providing a unique combination of commercial understanding and technical measurement.
Our role is to deliver independent, objective insight into how fire doors perform containing smoke in real buildings.
Jonathan Wallach BSc (Hons) MSt (Cantab) FRICS FRGS Founder and Director
Jonathan has over 25 years real estate experience.
Jonathan is a Partner at Everton Phillips, a Central London investment agency advising on commercial property transactions.
Between leaving school and starting at University Jonathan installed fire doors and completed carpentry and joinery projects. He then started at Robinson Low Francis, undertaking Project Management and Quantity Surveying whilst reading Estate Management part time and gaining a first class honours degree.
Jonathan then qualified as a Chartered Surveyor in 1996 at Colliers Edman Lewis. He was approached by Gerald Eve and joined in April 2002 to Head up West End Investment, before founding Everton Phillips LLP, Property Investment Consultants, in 2005. Jonathan then gained a Masters in Real Estate from the University of Cambridge. He became a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors in 2024.
Jonathan passed both the practical and theory elements of the accredited FDM Fire Door inspection course in 2025 gaining the GQA qualification. The FDM course was fully endorsed by Dame Judith Hackitt in May 2025.
Jonathan is also a Court Assistant to the Worshipful Company of Chartered Surveyors. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.
He brings a strong understanding of:
Asset performance
Risk and liability
Decision-making from an owner and managing agent perspective
This commercial background underpins London Quarter’s approach.
Focusing not just on technical findings, but on clear, practical outcomes for clients
Bernard Hornung - Chief Operating Officer
Bernard specialises in air leakage and building performance measurement, with extensive experience in testing and analysing how buildings perform in practice.
His expertise includes:
Airtightness testing
Air permeability analysis
Diagnostic measurement of building envelope performance
At London Quarter, Bernard leads the scientific testing of smoke leakage, ensuring results are:
Accurate
Repeatable
Interpreted correctly
Within two years of enlisting in the Irish Guards in 1975, Bernard was a 20 year old Platoon Commander fighting fires in Central London, rescuing victims overwhelmed by carbon monoxide poisoning, one of the primary causes of fire-related deaths. "Some memories never fade, they stay with you, and you never forget the lesson learnt to prevent loss of life."
As a former British Army Officer with 15 years service, planning, teamwork, efficiency and calm expertise come naturally to him. thirty five years in real estate, the last five years of which included commercialising an air leak detector, Bernard recognises that airtightness is not just a technical issue. It is a leadership challenge. It means shifting the hierarchy. Coordinating all the trades in such a way that testing for airtightness is included at every stage. Starting with the factory testing of precision made components, and continuing throughout the entirety of the build programme. Thanks to the most modern Ultrasound equipment, Airtightness Testing is now a practical proposition.
His own personal experiences as a property developer confirm that a single missed joint, a tiny unsealed penetration in the wrong place, and the entire build programme unravels.
This has made Bernard zealous in his mission of using state of the art equipment to track down even the tiniest faults in your system, and ensure an end result of certified airtightness. And by using the right equipment in the right sequence, the final costs can be much more budget friendly than the alternatives, some of which could be very costly indeed.
Thomas Thompson BSc MSc Associate Director
Following his graduation from the University of Nottingham with a 2:1 in Biology, Tom served in the military as an officer in the Welsh Guards for six years. During his military career he completed two operational tours of Afghanistan and achieved the rank of Captain.
On leaving the Army, he joined JP Morgan as part of the military internship scheme. He worked in the Sales, Strategy and Planning team for UK funds. He was responsible for analyzing and developing the activities and methodologies used by the Sales team.
Tom has completed an MSc in Real Estate from the University of Estate Management (UCEM).
Our combined approach
London Quarter sits at the intersection of:
Property and asset management
Technical measurement and building physics
Fire door inspection and compliance
This combination allows us to provide:
A level of insight that goes beyond inspection alone
Independent and focused
We do not:
Manufacture doors
Install or repair doors
Carry out general inspections
Our role is solely to provide:
Independent measurement or air/smoke leakage through fire doors
Provide objective reporting
Clear accurate evidence to support governance and decision-making
Our focus
We specialise exclusively in:
Scientific measurement of smoke leakage in fire doors
Helping clients understand how doors perform in reality — not just how they were designed to perform.
Contact Us
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