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The Challenge:
Wilmott Dixon’s Prime Place in Greenwich is a luxury development of 181 apartments with private balconies and views across the City and Canary Wharf. As part of a wider regeneration featuring health club, hotel, business centre, student village and more, the project presented a fast-moving, challenging site with very little space for storage.
So when Wilmott Dixon needed a partner to provide natural smoke ventilation, our flexibility and agility in manufacture was critical. We worked closely with the project team so that as different phases approached completion, we could measure, manufacture and deliver bespoke smoke hatches, some with roof access, ready for handover.
The Solution:
Whitesales’ Em-Vent smoke vent units provided the ideal solution, tested by an independent assessment house and certificated to EN12101-2. Often, the exact sizes were unable to be confirmed until the slab and upstand were formed. Our very extensive Em-Vent range includes 57 sizes – 14 for immediate delivery and 45 more available within two to four weeks. This gave us the flexibility to meet the requirements as they emerged.
Ultimately, eight Em-Vent smoke vents and Em-Hatch access hatches were specified, involving site surveys and bespoke manufacture. Situated over atriums, stairwells, corridors and smoke shafts, safety was of course a primary concern; our units are fully impact-tested to EN1873 and ACRM 2010 Class B and non-fragile. Delivered to meet the contractor’s construction programme, each smoke vent was craned directly to the correct roof area ready for positioning. In line with the high-end specification created by Willmott Dixon, we ensured that much of the protective packaging could be left in place until the end of building works, keeping the installed product protected and free from damage.
The Benefit:
When designing an apartment block, safety is the priority. In the event of a fire, specifying the right smoke ventilation is the difference between life and death. Our Em-Vent smoke hatches, connected to Prime Place’s building management system, automatically open on detection of smoke or fire and are fully open within 60 seconds, clearing smoke fast.
The low profile, high-quality design and maximum glazed area send shafts of daylight down into communal areas, enhancing the aesthetics of the interior for occupants.
We gave Wilmott Dixon not only the precise, bespoke products they needed for a variety of spaces, but also the peace of mind and reduced pressure of our skilled surveyors and support team, in addition our stock, capacity, rapid manufacture and delivery provided the final products exactly when they were needed.
