Mechanical Smoke Ventilation System for Miller Heights
Be Safe Direct (BSD) has provided its expertise, experience and highly trusted smoke ventilation systems to a new commercial-to-residential conversion project in Maidstone, Kent, following its appointment by the project’s electrical contractor.
Theedam Electrics approached BSD with the fire strategy and building plans for Miller Heights, an 11 storey former office block located on the town’s Lower Stone street. Following a review of the plans for the 99-apartment building, Be Safe Direct’s experts were able to identify the most suitable smoke ventilation systems for the building.
Due to the change from commercial to residential use, BSD recommended the installation of two mechanical smoke ventilation systems serving residential floors one to eleven, linked to a FireSmart control panel system.
Mechanical Smoke Ventilation System
By using a mechanical system, which comprises of a fan mounted at roof level attached to an extract shaft serving a building’s common corridors, the change to residential use could be achieved safely without the need for substantial alterations to Miller Heights’ escape routes.
This is due to the superior efficiency of mechanical systems, which can reduce the amount of smoke in a building’s common corridors far more quickly than passive methods, such as automatic opening vents (AOVs).
FireSmart
Meanwhile, the FireSmart control panel allows the mechanical smoke ventilation system to be managed and monitored from a central location, with commissioning logs and status reports providing useful information on its operation.
Having identified the most appropriate systems for the Miller Heights building, Be Safe Direct provided Theedam Electrics with system-specific drawings, simplifying installation. The BSD team also attended on-site meetings with the client to provide ongoing support during installation and commissioned the system once it was installed.
Speaking on the project, David Theedam, Director of Theedam Electrics commented:
“There are always considerations to make when repurposing a property such as this, but from the outset Be Safe Direct were on hand to offer any advice that we needed. By reviewing the plans and suggesting which systems were the best fit they really gave us confidence that they would be up to the task, and the purchasing process was trouble-free.
“We would definitely consider working with Be Safe Direct again, especially because installing the systems ourselves helped to manage costs and allowed us to work within our own timeframes.”
To find out more about Be Safe Direct’s range of products and services, contact our team by emailing customerservices@besafedirect.com or call us on 0845 604 5653
