A new sixth form study and careers centre at Hampton School in South West London is using a combined ventilation and smoke clearance system from SE Controls to help provide a comfortable learning environment with enhanced fire safety for students and staff.
Designed by IID Architects, the new building is constructed as a three-story pod located in the centre of the school’s Hammond Quad, while a further single storey was added to the existing building at the southern end of the quad and the previously open space covered with a glazed roof.
In addition to meeting the building’s fire protection specification, which demands that fire fighters must be able to actuate the system and disperse smoke on arrival, via a manual call point at the main entrance, SE Controls also had to integrate the ventilation solution into the BMS to provide comfort ventilation and temperature control during day-to-day operation.
To achieve this, 20 SHEVTEC louvred smoke ventilators were installed at high-level in a rooftop plenum and operate as a four-zone system via a dedicated controller, linked to the BMS. This design enables proportional actuation of the vents so that they can be opened in stages depending on the temperature within the atrium. The control panel also incorporates a 72-hour battery backup for failsafe operation in the event of power interruption or failure.
As the ventilation system must also operate in the event of a fire, all the ventilators and control systems supplied by SE Controls are manufactured and tested in accordance with BS EN 12101 part 2 and part 10, as well as being compliant with other relevant product legislation, regulations and standards.
Although the louvres are all 1,280mm in height, five different widths were used on the project, ranging from 1,430mm to 1,854mm, enabling them to fit within the structural glazing system’s dimensions and ensure the ventilation airflow requirements are met.
In normal comfort mode, IP65 rated electric motors open and close the louvres depending on the level of cooling and ventilation needed within the atrium, which is managed by the school’s BMS. If the building’s fire alarm system is actuated, it over-rides the BMS and all the vents are closed until the fire services arrived and actuate the system to manage how the smoke is cleared to assist fire-fighting procedures.
Further information on SE Controls products, solutions and projects can be obtained by visiting www.secontrols.com, contacting sales(Replace this parenthesis with the @ sign)secontrols.com or calling +44 (0) 1543 443060.