The challenge
Northumbria Specialist Emergency Care Hospital is a purpose-built hospital dedicated to providing emergency care, with A & E consultants working 24/7 in a wide range of specialities. It’s the first of its kind in the country and will treat patients from across Northumberland and North Tyneside.
Every public building needs natural smoke ventilation, integrated with the fire strategy. In this case, each stairwell needed smoke vents which would provide natural ventilation but also clear smoke fast in an emergency. Whitesales worked closely with roofing contractors Briggs Amasco and main contractors Balfour Beatty to supply a range of smoke vents which could be controlled electrically through the building management system.
The units had to be flexible in size and, while each needed to provide a one metre square area of natural ventilation, they also had to accommodate a varying width of upstand build-up. This meant bespoke design, manufacture and sign-off for each zone, as well as custom aerodynamic wind deflectors because of the hospital’s exposed location.
The solution
Whitesales Es-Louvre natural smoke vents provided an ideal solution to meet the main contractor’s requirements. These are bespoke products designed, manufactured and certificated in accordance with EN12101-2 and operated by a 24 Volt DC actuator on a low amperage requirement.
By incorporating an aerodynamic wind deflector into each unit, they’re extremely well protected from the effects of wind turbulence, which guarantees effective smoke ventilation, while the inlet air ensures that fresh, smoke-free air replaces the air that’s being evacuated. As well as providing bespoke design and manufacture, Whitesales helped Briggs Amasco with initial site survey and a full suite of installation instructions and drawings to ensure a trouble-free build.
The benefits
Smoke inhalation is responsible for more deaths in fires than the conflagration itself. Stairwells – the routes people use to escape to safety – are especially dangerous places and smoke needs to be cleared efficiently and fast. Es-Louvres are specifically designed to exhaust heat and smoke in locations that are exposed to high wind load. They’re available as standard in a wide range of sizes, but here they offer the design flexibility and functionality needed for very specific needs. They’re not just powerful smoke ventilators and natural air inlets; they’re very secure too: non-fragile and highly impactresistant.
Security is an important consideration for hospital units and the Es-Louvre provides maximum life-saving capability without compromising the safety of patients and staff inside.
