An accommodation block at Birmingham University is using an integrated smoke and heat exhaust ventilation system from SE Controls, ensuring over 250 students will have smoke free escape routes.
The Recording Rooms, one of the newest student accommodation blocks at the second city’s leading university is a £12.5 that contains 267 bed spaces in five different room styles.
There are three individual zones within the building, in varying numbers of storeys, each featuring a dedicated smoke control system linked to the building’s master BMS and fire protection system.
SE Controls system’s protects the building’s four stairwells and corridors on each floor; this is through keeping them smoke-free, thus making clear escape routes possible in the event of a fire.
Two of the zones, at three and four storeys, each has an escape stair core protected by automatically operated side hung windows on each floor and automatic opening vents (AOV) at the head of the stairs.
Michael Scrimshaw, Business Development Manager for SE Controls talked about how the building’s design meant it was vital to have effective smoke control in all of the different multi-storey zones.
“We have a significant amount of experience in code compliant and fire engineered solutions for student accommodation. By combining both mechanical and natural smoke ventilation, we were able to deliver a solution that fully utilises the advantages of both technologies to provide a safe environment for students,” he said.
