Discreet fire protection for a landmark Mayfair office

When leading fire and security specialists Cornerstone were appointed to deliver the life safety systems for the refurbishment of 77 Grosvenor Street, they faced a unique challenge. Located in the heart of London’s Mayfair district, the prestigious building features classical architecture and over 50,000 square feet of premium open-plan office space spread across six floors. The goal was to upgrade the fire protection without compromising the building’s refined aesthetics.

The client, a major property management company, required a solution that was robust, reliable and unobtrusive. Working closely with the design and construction teams, Cornerstone turned to Hochiki Europe, a long-standing partner known for dependable systems that blend seamlessly into high-end environments.

At the core of the installation is the Latitude fire detection and alarm control system. Chosen for its powerful cause and effect programming, flexible networking and modular scalability, Latitude was well suited to the demands of a multi-level heritage building. Its ability to support complex configurations made it ideal for a site where multiple zones, floors and room functions needed to be managed with precision.

To deliver complete protection across the site, Cornerstone selected a combination of Hochiki's Enhanced System Protocol (ESP) addressable devices and the FIRElink aspirating detection system. The FIRElink system is adaptable to a broad range of environments and applications. From small, to very large areas, the system is particularly useful in protecting computer rooms or data centres but can be designed to fit almost any environment. ESP detectors offer high performance with a minimal visual footprint, ideal for preserving the character of the restored interiors. In areas requiring an even more discreet solution, such as decorative ceilings or high airflow zones, FIRElink was installed using capillary sampling pipes hidden within the building’s structure.

One of the key advantages of the Latitude platform is its ability to interface with wider building management systems (BMS). At Grosvenor Street, this opens the door to centralised monitoring and control of fire safety in conjunction with other building systems. Latitude’s open integration options mean it can share status updates and alarm events in real time with the BMS, enabling facilities teams to coordinate responses quickly and efficiently. For a high-spec office environment, this not only improves safety outcomes but also supports smoother day-to-day operation and building performance.

Patrick Anthony, Project Manager at Cornerstone, explained: “We have a trusted relationship with the Hochiki team. Their systems and devices are reliable, help reduce false alarms and are designed to aesthetically fade into the background, exactly what this project needed and delivers complete peace of mind for the management team.”

The site at Grosvenor Street is now protected by a fully integrated, future proof life safety system that meets modern building safety standards while maintaining the building’s elegance.