Case Study: Crabtree Manorway, Belvedere
The Crabtree Manorway “Warehouse” in Belvedere is a secure facility that has been purpose-built for the Met Police to undertake fleet maintenance and other official police duties. The project consisted of 4 individual buildings, each with their own requirements and system types, making this quite a unique project, greatly benefitting from Colt’s considerable experience and expertise.
Colt was commissioned primarily to deal with fume extraction in the bay areas where vehicles were being stored and tested, as the fumes produced by the vehicles are hazardous to health.
Smoke clearance in the event of a fire was also an element that needed to be taken into consideration in order for the building to meet all the legislative requirements. In addition, the warehouse manager wanted to ensure that there was general, adequate day-to-day ventilation in the spaces to prevent overheating in the summer months for the staff.
This combination of requirements – fume extract, smoke clearance and natural ventilation – is not a typical pairing and therefore presented the design team with ample opportunity to show off their experience and creativity. To meet the requirements of this unique opportunity, we made use of Colt’s wide range of smoke and climate control products to achieve the desired results. The entire Colt system was integrated into the building’s building management system using a bespoke control system designed for this project to ensure easy management.
One of the differentiating aspects of this project is in how the Colt designers used their systems and regulatory knowledge to create a highly effective system that makes use of various controls and sensors to help detect differences in conditions. This, in turn, informs the system’s response, so that occupant safety and comfort is always guaranteed, while providing the most energy-efficient solution.
An example of this can be found in the main building which has carbon monoxide gas detection sensors, rain sensors and wind direction sensors installed on the outside of the building, in addition to a temperature sensor that is installed on the inside of the building. When the sensors determine that it is dry, not windy and fume levels are low, Colt’s Apollo vents and Coltlite CLT natural ventilators provide an efficient, noiseless natural ventilation solution.
However, if the sensors detect rain, an increase in wind speed or a rise in the gas levels in the building, the system’s response will switch to providing a more suitable powered solution using Colt’s all-weather Tornado extract fans. However, even then, the Tornado fans will still adjust their running speed to match the requirement, as they constantly receive information about the gas levels, increasing and decreasing their response to stay as efficient as possible.
Seefire vents and Jetstream fans (which are more typically used in car parks) were used similarly in conjunction with each other on some of the other buildings where the building structure created cross-flow restrictions.
To learn more about all the Colt products that were used on this project, please see below:
Apollo Natural Flap Roof Ventilator:
Colt’s Apollo natural flap ventilator provides both smoke and day-to-day ventilation, making it ideal for this project. Providing high-level extract, the Apollo vents were installed on the building roof.
Tornado Extract Fans (Roof):
To aid with fume extraction and overheating concerns, Colt’s design team also chose to install Tornado powered extract ventilators in addition to the Apollo fans on the roof. Tornado is an ErP compliant, low noise, high efficiency powered extract ventilator designed to deal with localised air quality and overheating problems as well as to provide general climate control for comfort.
Coltlite CLT Natural Ventilators:
To support with the climate control ask and also provide part of the smoke control solution, Coltlite CLT natural louvred ventilators were installed. Coltlite’s narrow frame and insulated louvres also had the extra benefit of providing added security and privacy for the occupants of the building.
Colt Universal 2UL Louvre:
To further assist with the day-to-day ventilation and keep a fresh supply of air coming into the warehouse even during inclement weather, Colt 2UL Universal louvres were incorporated into the building. 2UL is a double bank louvre system which provides high airflow performance with a good degree of rain defence, making it a good fit for this project.
Seefire:
Colt Seefire ventilators are very popular with specifiers and contractors because of the wide range of options and applications it is suited to and its flexibility definitely came in handy on this project. Classed as a dual-purpose ventilator, Seefire provides day-to-day ventilation as well as smoke control ventilation and was installed in the vertical on this project to provide both.
Jetstream:
To reduce the levels of polluted air, Colt’s Jetstream impulse fans were installed. Originally designed for the ventilation of car parks and underground service areas, the Jetstream fans use tunnel ventilation technology to reduce the need for costly and bulky ductwork.
If you have a similarly complex project that you think could benefit from Colt’s experience and expertise or you want to learn more about any of the products used on this project, talk to our team today.
If your building is too hot or too cold, if your process gives off fume or moisture, if your product requires specific conditions during its manufacture or storage, or if noise is a concern, then we may be able to help you.
We can survey your building using a range of techniques and equipment to identify your problem. Once established, we can then recommend a solution based on proven design work.
Request a no obligation consultation with one of our technical experts
Andrew Wright is an Area Manager for Colt's Climate Control divison, experienced in creating efficient ventilation systems to achieve comfortable working environments and increasing productivity.
