Other Project Expertise

Hotels

Recently reported figures from the F.P.A suggest that direct losses from fires in hotels/boarding houses were approaching £4million.

Larger hotel chains, notably American chains, have long since been aware of the benefits of installing sprinkler systems due mainly to some high profile fires. On New Years day 1986, a fire devastated the 22 storey Du Pont Plaza in Puerto Rico leaving 97 dead and property loss running into millions of dollars. Fortunately for the death toll, the fire broke out mid-afternoon. Had the fire occurred at night when the guests were asleep, the death would have been greater. How different from the experience at the Westin Hotel, Boston. Not a single life was lost and guests were safely evacuated from the 38 storey hotel fitted with and automatic sprinkler system.

In the UK, more and more sprinkler systems are being installed into hotels either during construction or as part of a refurbishment program.

Retro fitting a hotel requires a comprehensive survey of the building, assessing the various risk areas, together with investigations regarding the available mains water supply to establish the need sprinkler pumps and water tanks. During the survey stage it is important to liaise with the hotel property manager and the partnering architect to develop the appropriate pipework routing, builders work details, plant/housing locations as well as the proposed schedule and site access details when the project commences. Once completed a comprehensive set of design and installation drawings indicating pipework routing, pipework sizing, pump and tank selection, associated electrical/alarm wiring and any associated builders work detail.

The key to the success of any such project is using the expertise and on-site skills of an accredited fire engineering contractor. This is why Argus are the preferred fire engineering contractor to hotels in the UK.

Heritage and listed buildings

FIRE is perhaps the greatest threat in heritage buildings. While other risks, such as theft, flood or insect infestation, can damage heritage items, only fire can destroy it. Each year, there are fires in all types of historic and heritage buildings, which result in losses of important artifacts and cultural resources.

The inquiry into the Windsor Castle fire of November 1992 concluded that sprinklers could play a useful role in the protection of heritage buildings, especially where it is difficult to introduce other fire protection measures, such as improved compartmentation. This becomes a more universally accepted fact, and the idea of sprinklers in historic, heritage and listed buildings is no longer a novelty, particularly in Scotland. Strong support from Historic Scotland has meant that the potential benefits of sprinkler protection have always been factored in to discussions on refurbishment or change of use of listed buildings

Major properties in the UK which have had sprinklers installed include:

Duff House, Aberdeenshire, an outstation of the National Galleries of Scotland
Broughton House, Dumfries and Galloway, National Trust for Scotland
Newhailes House, Lothian and Border, National Trust for Scotland
National Library of Scotland, Edinburgh
British Library, London
National Library of Wales, Building III
Granton Storage Building, National Galleries of Scotland

Over the past 10 years, many UK heritage professionals have accepted that sprinkler protection provides new levels of flexibility and often the ability to meet current fire regulations without major structural alterations. In particular, sprinklers may enable significantly improved levels of fire safety for building, occupants and contents to be provided without visual intrusion or major destruction of historic fabric. While improving compartmentation can sometimes be accomplished within such parameters, often the need to provide upgrade fire barriers can have a damaging effect on the microclimate of the building, upsetting a stable system and allowing the growth or moulds, fungi and rot. However, care should be paid to the need to ensure that where partial sprinkler protection is being provided that adequate levels of fire compartmentation separate sprinklered and un-sprinklered areas.

In the design process care is taken to ensure that, where sprinkler pipes were likely to be exposed to extremes of temperature, such as in the attic spaces, full insulation and trace heating are incorporated in the design. Opportunities to exploit available voids for pipe runs are maximised. In order to minimise the amount of disturbance to historic fabric, the sprinkler pipework can be located in the structural void between floors.
The interior architecture can determine the type, choice and position of each sprinkler head. For example, in rooms with plain ceilings and deep-combed cornices, sidewall sprinklers can be mounted at the base of the cornice. In rooms with more elaborate ceiling decoration, installing recessed sprinklers with coloured caps on the decoration could be a solution.

Where once the idea of installing sprinkler systems into mansions, castles, churches, museums and libraries may have seemed absurd, it is now clear that sprinklers can save nationally and internationally important structures and their contents.

As more focus is being give to our heritage and history, so Argus are becoming the preferred fire engineering contract chose to protect our historic buildings.

For any further information regarding this product please either visit our technical library or contact us.