Iconic Lloyds Building receives Advanced fire protection

A network of 10 MxPro 5 fire panels from systems leader, Advanced, have been installed to protect London’s famous Lloyds Building.

Also known as the Inside-Out Building, the Lloyds Building is located in the City of London’s main financial district and is a leading example of radical Bowellism architecture in which services for the building such as ducts and lifts are located on the exterior to maximise space in the interior.

Built in 1986, the commercial office development became the youngest structure ever to obtain Grade I listing in 2011.

The state-of-the-art Advanced fire panels, which were installed as part of a phased upgrade to the fire system, cover all areas of the 14-storey building, include BMS integration for graphics and are linked to over 3200 Hochiki devices, including wireless devices installed within the building’s towers.

Undertaking phase one, the design, installation and commissioning of the fire panels and graphics system at the Lloyds Building, were Kent-based Pacific Security Systems Ltd.

Kirk Short, Director at Pacific Security Systems Ltd, commented: “Our client’s brief was to retain the existing Hochiki devices and wiring, while upgrading the panels and graphics system on site. The system also needed to be both user friendly and reliable.

“Advanced’s MxPro 5 panels were able to tick all of the boxes. Its network performance is particularly good, no matter the size of the system or complexity of the site Advanced’s products have the capability to deliver complete protection. Our customers are always happy with the product and find the panels very easy to operate with limited technical understanding.”

As part of the work for phase two of the upgrade, a custom-built annunciator for sprinkler, wet riser and plant status control will be designed and manufactured by Advanced’s AdSpecials department.

Ken Bullock, Regional Sales Manager at Advanced, said: “It’s a pleasure to be able to support Pacific Security Systems Ltd with the equipment needed to protect such an iconic London landmark, and as a high performance yet user friendly solution, the MxPro 5 just makes sense.

“Our industry leading fire panel offers the ideal solution for this project, where an intuitive interface that the end user can easily operate and superior networking capabilities that can deliver protection across a large area, are crucial.

“Pacific Security Systems Ltd will also benefit from the MxPro 5’s built-in false alarm management software, AlarmCalm, enabling the configuration of the building’s investigation delays and double knock procedures with ease.”

MxPro 5 is the fire industry’s leading multiprotocol fire system solution and was recently certified by FM Approvals to the EN 54 standard.

It offers four detector protocols and a completely open installer network, backed up by free training and support. MxPro 5 panels can be used in single-loop, single-panel format or easily configured into high-speed networks of up to 200 panels covering huge areas.

Its ease of installation and configuration, as well as its wide peripheral range, make it customisable to almost any application.

Advanced, owned by FTSE 100 company Halma PLC, protects all manner of prestigious and high-profile sites across the globe, from London’s Shard to Abu Dhabi International Airport and Las Vegas’ Golden Nugget Casino.

Halma is a global group of life-saving technology companies with a clear purpose to grow a safer, cleaner, healthier future for everyone, every day.

Advanced is a world leader in the development and manufacture of intelligent fire systems – the legendary performance, quality and ease of use of its products see Advanced specified in locations all over the world, from single-panel installations to large, multi-site networks.

Advanced’s products include complete fire detection systems, multiprotocol fire panels, extinguishing control, fire paging and false alarm management systems.