While smoke control is vital in any type of public building where people gather, it is perhaps even more so in schools and other buildings the more vulnerable members of society assemble. In this blog, we will cover the regulations around smoke control requirements in educational buildings and share some design considerations that are vital when configuring fire safety systems for buildings with children as the main users.
Read MoreTopics: Smoke Control, Smoke ventilation, HVAC, Controls
Smoke ventilation systems today require sophisticated control systems with highly complex sequences of operation. HVAC control systems could be seen as a viable solution, as they can be extremely flexible and offer a high degree of programmability. However, while they may be adequate for simple applications, there are a number of issues that mean they do not deliver on all the functionalities needed for more complex schemes.
Here are 7 reasons why:
Read MoreTopics: Smoke Control, Smoke ventilation, HVAC, Controls
The upsurge in large-scale residential schemes and commercial towers with fire fighting shafts has created the need for much more sophisticated control systems with highly complex sequences of operation for their smoke ventilation schemes.
Topics: Smoke Control, Smoke ventilation, Controls
Smoke ventilation systems today require sophisticated control systems with highly complex sequences of operation. HVAC control systems could be seen as a viable solution, as they can be extremely flexible and offer a high degree of programmability. However, while they may be adequate for simple applications, there are a number of issues that mean they do not deliver on all the functionalities needed for more complex schemes.
Here are 5 reasons why:
Read MoreTopics: Smoke Control, Smoke ventilation, HVAC, Controls
The debate on the pros and cons of open or closed protocols in the fire alarm and smoke detection controls market has been ongoing for many years. What is it all about and why does this subject provoke so much discussion in our industry?
Topics: Smoke Control, Smoke ventilation
As a property owner or developer, when you have to make a decision on the best control system for smoke ventilation in your building, you are faced with a bewildering amount of information and conflicting opinions as to the most effective approach. Should you opt for a fire alarm control system, an HVAC/BMS control system or one specifically designed for smoke ventilation? Should you choose open or closed protocol?
Topics: Smoke Control, Smoke ventilation, Controls
When designing smoke shaft systems, which type of vent do you need?
The choice is short and sweet as there are only 3 basic types available:
Seems a simple choice, but there’s more to it than aesthetics, as you’ll see.
Read MoreTopics: Smoke ventilation, Smoke shafts
When designing ventilation schemes for common corridors in residential developments, it is now possible to go beyond simply creating a building design that is compliant, by allowing corridors to be extended beyond the travel distances permitted in ADB.
Read MoreTopics: Smoke ventilation, Smoke shafts, Smoke Shaft Series
In this article, the second in our series about designing smoke shaft systems, we will look at the choice of natural vs mechanical shafts in ventilation systems for smoke extraction.
Read MoreTopics: Smoke ventilation, Smoke shafts
Let me make it clear. I’m talking here about systems providing smoke control, not just smoke clearance as recommended in Building Regulations. These systems are much more complex and costly than compliant smoke clearance systems, so why would anyone choose to use them?
Topics: Smoke Control, CFD, Smoke ventilation, Car Park Ventilation
You may think that fitting an actuator on a window instead of using a smoke ventilator will make a cost effective solution for smoke and natural ventilation, but unfortunately it is not that simple.
Here are some of the ways in which a window/actuator combination can be a poor substitute for a smoke ventilator:
Read MoreTopics: Natural ventilation, Smoke ventilation
Following our recent article on the “Top three considerations when specifying glass louvred ventilators” we have been inundated with questions about modulating controls. Clearly this is a topic that resonates with many in the industry, and in this article we aim to provide some guidance on how to modulate louvred window ventilators.
Topics: Natural ventilation, Smoke ventilation, Controls, Louvre
Glass louvred ventilators, or louvred window ventilators as they are commonly known, are becoming increasingly popular for use in natural and smoke ventilation systems. There are several suppliers on the market, offering products that vary widely in terms of performance and controls. How can you make sure you will get exactly what you need when specifying or purchasing one of these ventilators?
There are three critical considerations you should make when preparing to specify a glass louvred ventilator:
Read MoreTopics: Natural ventilation, Regulations, Smoke ventilation, Louvre
Control systems for smoke ventilation need to meet the demand for increasing complexity of modern building complexes, such as large-scale residential schemes or high-rise tower buildings. As a property owner or developer, when making your choice of a fire alarm control system for your building, you will have to decide between an HVAC/BMS control system or one specifically designed for smoke ventilation, and between open or closed protocol.
As you make your considerations, it is important to keep in mind the key requirements your control system has to meet.
Read MoreTopics: Smoke Control, Smoke ventilation, Controls
The debate about the relative merits of open and closed control protocols is relatively recent. It has arisen because of the evolution of the smoke ventilation market towards more complex systems.
Read MoreTopics: Smoke Control, Smoke ventilation, Controls
