Sprinklers
THE CHALLENGE
Stansted Airport, Essex
During 2014/15 the airside retail complex at London’s third busiest airport, Stansted, was to be completely refurbished. This involved a comprehensive strip-out and reconfiguring of the internal building fabric including the building services. The life safety fire sprinkler system was a vital part of these services and this too had to be stripped back to the main supply pipe downstream of the control valves. From 2013 Vipond Fire Protection, working closely with Carillion, and Jacobs were tasked with carrying out all operational works whilst the airport remained open for business.
THE SOLUTION
The new installation was based on a complete redesign of the system to LPC regulations Ordinary Hazard Class 3 with BS EN12845 life safety enhancements. This covered 42 new retail units, food outlets and duty-free shops. The airport required two levels of protection due to congestion of services at high level, one at the ceiling soffit and one below the other building services.
THE CHALLENGE
Fairview Court, Pontypool
Fairview Court is a 1960’s twelve storey tower block and Pentan Partnership’s first project for Cwmbran based Bron Afon Community Housing. The principle objective of the project was to completely refurbish to modern-day thermal standards with eco-friendly enhancements and an upgrade to the fire protection measures. The block is one of the first high rise projects to benefit from the Welsh Assembly’s decision to install fire sprinklers in refurbished residential buildings.
THE SOLUTION
It was decided that at each floor level, the main pipe feed would be split into two – one to serve the flats and the other to serve the common areas. Lowered suspended ceilings were provided to conceal services such as the fire sprinkler pipework. Careful planning of pipe routes within the flats was a key consideration and pipework in each apartment was mounted tightly along the hallway and kitchen walls. This was painted to blend with the surrounding decor. Vipond have extensive experience of working in many building types and providing solutions that are appealing to customers.
THE CHALLENGE
Abbotsford House, Galashiels
Abbotsford House is a historic country house, formerly the residence of Sir Walter Scott who developed this magnificent property having originally purchased it as a farmhouse. The decor is both extravagant and exudes opulence. The complex fabric of the building and its historical importance provided a challenging backdrop to design and install an effective fire safety system.
THE SOLUTION
Due to the delicate nature of transcripts and finishes in the Scott Rooms, comprehensive discussions were held with Historic Scotland to ensure that the nature of the fire protection provided would be effective, and importantly, in keeping with the nature of the house. In these rooms, low pressure water mist was proposed enable a firefighting capability from a significantly reduced quantity of water. The potential damage to precious artefacts would be minimised as a direct result of this fire strategy. In all other areas within the building, a residential sprinkler system was installed in accordance with BS 9251:2005 using concealed heads.
THE CHALLENGE
Asda Stores, Telford
Asda opened its new £4 million store in Telford in February 2014. The shop had many areas which require sprinkler protection. Other than the sales and warehouse roof areas, there were additional areas such as canopies, racks, Home Shopping, ducts and the underground car park. The programming of an installation is always an important factor in a project’s success and this was carefully coordinated by Vipond.
THE SOLUTION
Vipond proposed a fixed automatic sprinkler system, designed in accordance with BS EN12845. The water supplies were provided by a 300m3 storage tank of galvanised cylindrical construction with butyl liner. Hazard classification determined water discharge densities throughout. The fire classifications varied across the premises ranging from ordinary hazard class 2 (OH2) in the car park, OH3 in the sales office and High Hazard in the warehouse areas. A total of 1,628 sprinkler heads were fitted throughout the premises with almost a half of these installed in the underground car park. All sprinklers in public areas were anti vandal. The sprinklers are fed from a network of steel pipe to BS 1387/3601. Vipond’s policy is to fabricate pipework at its LPCB certificated workshop.
THE CHALLENGE
Tovi Eco Park
Tovi Eco Park is part of a 28 year contract awarded to Urbaser Balfour Beatty by both Essex County Council and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, to manage waste from households across Essex and Southend. The mechanical biological treatment (MBT) facility will treat all residual waste as well as complementing existing recycling and composting services within the region. The client required the contracts to be compliant with industry specific guidance, including Property Damage Fire Prevention for Energy from Waste Plants.
THE SOLUTION
Vipond’s systems design department closely tracked those requirements during the design process to provide the solutions demanded by the client. The scope of works extended to a wide range of fire suppression systems throughout including an automatic fire sprinkler system in accordance with BS EN12845, gaseous fire extinguishing systems to BS EN15004, water spray systems and the provision of water cannon to protect deep bunkers.
Sprinklers
The scope afforded property protection with 6 installations covering over 12 distinct areas throughout the facility. With the exception of the car park these systems were almost entirely to High Hazard category.
IG55 Gas Suppression
Automatic/manual IG55 systems were installed within the Generator room, Transformer room and Electrical Switchrooms. The 300 bar systems are designed deliver a uniform concentration of extinguishing agent throughout the protected areas within 1 minute in accordance with BS EN15004.
Water Cannon
Water cannon and hydrant supply were facilitated by a 45m3 tank with 2 electric Fire Pumps and Jockey pump. The manually operated cannons enable an operator from the security of the control room to direct a water stream at a fire within the bunkers. All in all a comprehensive series of fire protection measures are provided for by a wide range of Vipond suppression systems at Tovi Eco Park. This allows an integrated approach to the fire safety plan and the safety of the premises.