Office pods and Building Regulations: fire, air and access

Please note: This guide is general information, not professional advice. What applies depends on your building and where it is — rules differ across the UK nations. Check with building control, an approved inspector or your fire risk assessor before you order.

An office pod looks like furniture, and it's often sold like furniture. But once it has walls, a roof and a door, it behaves like a small room — and rooms have to meet fire, ventilation and access rules. Here's what to check, based on guidance from building-standards consultancy Sweco.

Is a pod a “material alteration”?

Sweco's guidance is that bringing a fully enclosed pod into an office counts as a material alteration under the Building Regulations. Open pods — without a roof, or with an open side — are judged case by case. If you rent, speak to your landlord early; they may want building control involved.

Fire detection and alarms

• Smoke detectors: keep a 500 mm clear space around them. A pod should not encroach on that zone, so check its height and position against the detectors above.
• Alarm audibility: the fire alarm should reach at least 60 dB inside the pod — the same as a small enclosed room. A pod designed to keep sound out needs checking on this point.
• Sprinklers: if your office has them, ask your sprinkler contractor how a pod with a roof affects coverage.

Ventilation

Sweco gives a ventilation rate for enclosed pods of 10 litres per second per person, or 1 litre per second per m² of floor area, whichever is more. For a four-person pod that's at least 40 l/s; for seven people, at least 70 l/s. Ask the supplier for the fan's airflow rate and compare it with the number of people who will use the pod.

Wall and ceiling linings

For pods under 30 m², Sweco's guidance is that the internal walls and ceilings should achieve a D-s3,d2 classification — a European reaction-to-fire rating for the lining materials. Ask the supplier for the classification of the acoustic panels and ceiling.

Access and doors

• Level access: a threshold no more than 15 mm high in total, with any upstand over 5 mm chamfered or rounded.
• Space beside the door: a 300 mm clear space next to the leading edge of the door on the pull side, so a wheelchair user can reach the handle.
• Escape routes: don't let a pod narrow a corridor or block the way to a fire exit.

Checklist for your landlord or building control

• The pod model, external size and height, with photos and the specification sheet — ours are on the office pod sizes page, and our guide on how to measure for an office pod covers the site measurements.
• Its proposed position on a floor plan, showing smoke detectors, sprinklers and escape routes.
• The fan's airflow rate against the number of people using the pod.
• The fire classification of the internal wall and ceiling linings.
• How the fire alarm will be heard inside.
• The door threshold and the clear space beside the door.
• How the pod is powered: plugged into a socket or hard-wired.

For the wider fire strategy of the building, BS 9999 is the British Standard code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings. When you order from us, ask on the call for the details you need for your submission.

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