Regal Twin Cinema, Graceville, QLD

Sector

Heritage / Cinema

Location

Graceville, QLD

The Regal Twin Cinema, Graceville QLD required a tailored fire engineering approach to support a refurbishment of the existing heritage-style cinema.

Our solution balanced the need for regulatory compliance while maintaining the architectural character of the building, delivering a fire safety strategy that enables modern upgrades without compromising operational functionality.

Key challenges:

The cinema is an existing Class 9b building undergoing renovations, including the conversion of an existing room into a new cinema.
The Building Code of Australia (BCA) Deemed-to-Satisfy (DtS) provisions posed constraints on exit travel distances, requiring a performance-based solution.
Fire safety measures needed to integrate with the heritage aspects and existing fire strategy while ensuring full compliance with the National Construction Code (NCC) 2022.

Key solutions:

Developed a Performance Solution allowing extended egress travel distances while maintaining occupant safety through enhanced smoke detection.
Implemented additional smoke detectors and containment measures to offset increased travel distances and support timely evacuation.
Introduced self-closing solid core doors to manage smoke movement within key circulation spaces.

Key outcomes:

A compliant fire safety strategy that enables continued use and future adaptability of the cinema.
A solution that respects the architectural intent of the refurbishment while prioritising occupant safety.
A performance-based fire engineering approach that supports evacuation while aligning with NCC Performance Requirements.

This project demonstrates how performance-based fire engineering can provide a practical yet innovative approach to managing fire safety in heritage buildings.

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