A new sixth form study and careers centre at Hampton School in South
West London is using a combined ventilation and smoke clearance
system from SE Controls to help provide a comfortable learning
environment with enhanced fire safety, for students and staff.
Designed by IID Architects, the new building is constructed as a three story pod located in the centre of the school’s Hammond Quad, while a further single storey was added to the existing building at the southern end of the quad and the open space was covered with a glazed roof.
In addition to meeting the building’s fire protection specification, which demands that fire fighters must be able to actuate the system and disperse smoke on arrival via a manual call point at the main entrance, SE Controls also had to integrate the ventilation solution into the BMS to provide comfort ventilation and temperature control in day-to-day operation.
To achieve this, 20 SHEVTEC louvred smoke ventilators were
installed at high-level in a rooftop plenum and operate as a four-zone system via a dedicated controller, linked to the BMS. This design enables proportional actuation of the vents so that they can be opened in stages depending on the temperature within the atrium.
Although the louvres are all 1,280mm in height, five different widths were used on the project, ranging from 1,430mm to 1,854mm, enabling them to fit within the structural glazing system’s dimensions. The range of sizes also ensures that the building’s ventilation air flow requirements are met as the vents provide a minimum of 50% free area when partially open. In normal comfort mode, the motors open and close the louvres depending on the level of cooling and ventilation needed within the atrium, which is managed by the school’s BMS.
If the building’s fire alarm system is actuated, it over-rides the BMS and all the vents are closed until the fire services arrived and actuate the system to manage how the smoke is cleared to assist fire-fighting procedures.