SE Controls receives FIRAS accreditation

Leading smoke control systems manufacturer and installer, SE Controls, has become one of the UK’s first companies to be accredited under the FIRAS Fire Protection Certification Scheme, achieving a Gold Standard certification for both natural and mechanical smoke ventilation systems.

FIRAS is a voluntary installer certification scheme operated by Warrington Certification Ltd in conjunction with the Smoke Control Association and through the process of accreditation aims to raise standard across the industry while improving safety and compliance best practice.

As a FIRAS Registered Installer Company, SE Controls must abide by a range of clearly defined best practice principles and guidelines in all smoke control projects, whilst also ensuring that all relevant technical and supervisory staff are fully trained to meet the regular FIRAS inspection standards.

SE Controls’ Group Managing Director, Will Perkins believes the FIRAS scheme is essential to raising quality and fire safety standards across the industry and urges other businesses to do the same.

He explained: “Smoke control systems are life safety critical, and requires that they must be designed, manufactured, installed and maintained to the highest standards. By being FIRAS accredited, this confirms that we are committed to maintaining these high standards throughout our business while also signalling to the industry that by using SE Controls, there is a range of quality safeguards in place that may not be present in non-accredited companies. I hope more businesses follow suit and go through the FIRAS assessment process.”

Further information on SE Controls’ products, solutions and projects can be obtained by visiting www.secontrols.com or calling  +44 (0) 1543 443060.

SE Controls invests in the future with five key management appointments

International smoke and naturalventilation systems specialist, SE Controls, has made five key management appointments to reinforce and expand its capabilities in core parts the business, including ventilation systems control and maintenance, fire engineering, project management and business development.

The new members of the management team are all highly experienced in their respective disciplines, each having worked for well over 20 years at a senior level within the building, construction and control systems industries with a number of UK and international companies.

Three of the new appointments, David Furneau, Stuart Coote and Nelson Godinho join from natural and powered smoke ventilation company, Airvent, taking up new roles within SE Controls as Project Manager, Business Development Manager, and Fire Engineer, respectively.

In addition to his time at Airvent, David has a long career in smoke control and project management having also worked for Colt International and GEC, while Stuart’s successful career in sales and business development in the engineering, electronics and construction industries includes periods with Colt International, and SMC Pneumatics.

Prior to joining Airvent as a fire engineer consultant in 2008, Nelson was a contracts engineer for Alstom South Africa, where he was directly involved in the design and management of a range of smoke ventilation and control contracts. At SE Controls, his role is focused on maintaining design and legislative standards across the smoke ventilation systems range, as well as liaising with fire engineering consultancies and specialists on relevant projects.

Simon North joins SE Controls as Service and Maintenance Division Manager from Honeywell Building Solutions, where he was responsible for energy and cost efficient life safety and natural ventilation solutions, while Paul Hunt takes up his post as Supply & Distribution Manager from Securistyle, part of the Assa Abloy Group, having also previously worked for the Newman Tonks Group.

SE Controls’ Managing Director, Will Perkins, explained: “We are constantly developing and growing our business in all the sectors and countries in which we operate through the design and installation of excellent solutions delivered by outstanding people. With these five key appointments we have not only increased our skills and experience base, but also created an even stronger platform for further development in key aspects of our business from customer service and systems maintenance through to product design and market development. “

SE Controls specialises in the design, project management and installation of advanced smoke ventilation and natural ventilation solutions to meet the needs of architects, contractors, building services engineers and facilities managers worldwide. Further information on SE Controls’ products, solutions and projects can be obtained by visiting www.secontrols.com or calling

 +44 (0) 1543 443060.

SE Controls enhances fire safety and comfort at flagship apartment development

Berkeley Homes’ flagship Woodberry Park apartment development in North London is using an advanced smoke and natural ventilation system from SE Controls to not only provide protection for residents in the event of a fire, but to also create a better environment by actively managing any excessive heat build up in corridors.

Located on Seven Sisters Road, Woodberry Park is part of the innovative Woodberry Down regeneration programme being undertaken by the London Borough of Hackney, Genesis Housing and Berkeley Homes, which will eventually create almost 4,700 homes, combining social and affordable housing with private residential apartments.

SE Controls was commissioned to design and install a SHEVTEC® mechanical extraction smoke ventilation systems within two separate low rise private residential blocks within Woodberry Park, which provide a total of 117 luxury apartments.

In addition to smoke ventilation, a key part of SE Controls’ project specification and design brief was that the system should also incorporate an ‘environmental ventilation’ mode, enabling it to monitor heat build up in communal corridors and lobbies while also managing the operation of automatic vents to reduce the temperature and introduce fresh, cooler air into the building.

SE Controls’ Project Leader on Woodberry Park, David Sawyer, explained: “Heat build up in corridors with multi-storey apartment buildings can become an issue as many developments use efficient distributed heating systems where pipework runs along the corridors to each apartment.”

He added: “The cumulative thermal gain generated by the pipework can make corridors, lobbies and communal spaces uncomfortably hot, which is why we originally developed the environmental ventilation mode as an integral part of our smoke ventilation system capabilities, to help developers overcome this issue and provide a better environment for residents.”

The comprehensive SHEVTEC smokeventilation and environmental ventilation system installed in the two residential blocks, which have between four and seven floors, includes both an extract shaft and air inlet shaft in each the building’s two cores, with smoke dampers fitted at each level.

In normal smoke ventilation mode, if a fire is detected by building’s smoke sensors, the SHEVTEC roof mounted fan sets will start, while staircase vents and smoke vents located on the fire floor will open, enabling up to 5m³ per second of smoke to be drawn through the extraction shaft and provide a smoke free escape route for residents.

Tamper proof manual control points are installed throughout the buildings and separate fireman’s control points are also incorporated as part of the system, enabling fire service personnel to manually control the operation of every damper and staircase vent as well as the smoke and heat exhaust fans.

In addition to the system’s fire safety role, it is also designed to operate in a ‘natural environmental ventilation’ mode, which allows temperatures in corridors, lobbies and communal areas to be maintained at comfortable levels and avoid the heat build up caused by the under floor heating pipework feeding individual apartments.

Each lobby that is served by the smoke shafts is fitted with a ceiling mounted temperature sensor, which triggers the roof mounted environmental ventilation fan to run when the temperature exceeds the pre-determined set point to vent the warm air and replace it with cooler air from outside.

As with the smoke ventilation operation, only the dampers on the over-temperature floor will open and once the temperature has reduced sufficiently, they will close again and the ventilation fan will switch off. External temperature sensors are also installed within the system, which ensures that the environmental ventilation system will not operate if the outside temperature is higher than that within the corridors.

SE Controls specialises in the design, project management and installation of advanced smoke ventilation and natural ventilation solutions to meet the needs of architects, contractors, building services engineers and facilities managers worldwide. Further information on SE Controls’ products, solutions and projects can be obtained by visiting www.secontrols.com or calling +44 (0)1543 443060.

SE Controls passes 100th employee landmark

The appointment of four new trainees sees international smoke and natural ventilation solutions specialist, SE Controls pass the 100^th employee landmark, as the company continues to grow to meet sustained demand for its products in UK and overseas markets.

The four new recruits are aged between 19 and 22 with George Geary, Josh Nolan and Danny Scotcher joining SE Controls as Trainee Window Fitters in its Northern and Southern regions, while Chelsea Beard takes on her new role as Business Apprentice at the company’s head office near Lichfield.

SE Controls’ Managing Director Will Perkins, explained: “To be successful, it’s not just about developing innovative products, expanding into new markets and clear strategic thinking, it’s also about having the right people with the right skills and committing to invest in those individuals. I’m convinced that much of our success is down to our approach of supporting our products services with high quality people that can deliver beyond expectations.”

He added: “We have a firm commitment to formal apprenticeship schemes as well as recruiting trainee’s in a range of positions at SE Controls. This not only helps us develop, design and deliver our smoke & natural ventilation solutions now, but allows us the opportunity to invest in the future success of our business. Passing the 100 employee mark is a major achievement and the fact that we have achieved it with four new trainee and apprentice roles underlines our commitment to the future of our business and the development of our team.”

SE Controls specialises in the design, project management and installation of advanced smoke ventilation and natural ventilation solutions to meet the needs of architects, contractors, building services engineers and facilities managers worldwide. Further information on SE Controls’ products, solutions and projects can be obtained by visiting www.secontrols.com or calling +44 (0) 1543 443060.

Continued growth creates more new jobs at SE Controls

Continued growth and success at international smoke and natural ventilation solutions specialist, SE Controls, has led the company to take on a further 8 new technical and customer support staff, bringing the total of new jobs created during the past year to 21.

SE Controls’ most recent appointments cover a range of roles including business development; technical sales and key account management as well as installation engineering and project management.

The new staff are not only helping SE Controls meet growing demand for its fire safety and energy efficient ventilation solutions, but represent a significant investment in its future, which is underlined with the appointment of its fourth Trainee Project Leader in the past 12 months.

Maj Mohammed joins Faisal Amir, Ross Cameron and Sion Wilcox, who are being mentored by SE Controls’ experienced project leaders as well as studying for a BTEC level 4 HNC Diploma in construction and the built environment through the company’s in house training and development academy.

“Much of the success we’re experiencing is down to the quality of our people and their outstanding abilities in their respective areas of expertise, explained SE Controls’ Managing Director, Will Perkins. “This, in turn, has helped us grow and support our domestic and international developments, which has enabled us to create a range of new job opportunities here in the UK.”  

He added: “We have a very clear focus on the future of our business and our business development plans demand continued investment in high quality people to ensure we have the right people in place to maintain our high standards of design, technical and project management as well as supporting our increasing focus on customer service, support and quality.”

SE Controls is already in the process of seeking the next Trainee Project Leaders to join its team and the company’s latest recruitment and career opportunities are always posted in the ‘Careers’ section of its website, which can be found at www.secontrols.com.

SE Controls specialises in the design, project management and installation of advanced smoke ventilation and natural ventilation solutions to meet the needs of architects, contractors, building services engineers and facilities managers worldwide. Further information on SE Controls’ products, solutions and projects can be obtained by visiting www.secontrols.com or calling +44 (0) 1543 443060.

SE Controls sponsor the Peter Wilson Lecture

SE Controls is proud to be associated with the Manchester School of Architecture in its sponsorship of the forthcoming Peter Wilson Lecture and drinks reception.

The event is being organised by the Consumed Symposium Team of MA Architecture and Urbanism students at the Manchester School of Architecture and is being held at the CUBE Gallery in Manchester on Thursday 26^th April 2012.

Peter Wilson of BOLLES + WILSON, will be delivering an open lecture to professionals from the built environment, as well as academics and students.

BOLLES + WILSON Architects are internationally known for a consistently high architectural quality in a wide range of projects, each with an individual solution developed with careful consideration to the cultural and urbanistic context whilst addressing the key issues of sustainability.

It is SE Controls’ experience that despite the willingness within the construction industry to promote systems, products and services that are claimed to be ‘sustainable’ one thing is clear, a complete package aimed at getting the best performance possible is crucial in choosing a partner for smoke ventilation and natural ventilation.

SE Controls have 30 years’ experience in providing turnkey solutions to the construction industry and pride themselves as being one of the most influential smoke and natural ventilation companies in the UK.

SE Controls specialises in the design, project management and installation of advanced smoke ventilation and natural ventilation solutions to meet the needs of architects, contractors, building services engineers and facilities managers worldwide. Further information on SE Controls’ products, solutions and projects can be obtained by visiting www.secontrols.com or calling +44 (0) 1543 443060.

Focus on waste management and recycling pays off for SE Controls

An ongoing programme of effective waste reduction, management and recycling by Staffordshire based smoke control and natural ventilation solutions specialist, SE Controls, has enabled the company to ensure that none of its waste goes to landfill sites.

Since mid 2008, SE Controls has partnered with commercial waste management and recycling business, Briers, to not only reduce the level of waste it produces, but to also improve the efficiency while increasing the proportion of waste material that could be recycled.

In addition to metals, plastic, paper and cardboard waste produced by the company from its day to day operations, a proportion of the SE Controls waste is made up of electronic components and equipment, which is managed in compliance with WEEE regulations.

Mark Soleil, SE Controls’ operations Director, explained: “All businesses have an obligation to meet the minimum standards for waste management, but at SE Controls, we’re always looking to reduce our waste material and its impact on the environment, as well as reducing our packaging waste costs.”

He added: “Our partnership with Briers has proven to be highly productive and we have worked together closely. Their high quality recycling solutions coupled with our focus on reducing scrap and waste has enabled us to achieve our present situation where no waste from our UK operations is sent to landfill.”

SE Controls specialises in the design, project management and installation of advanced smoke ventilation and natural ventilation solutions to meet the needs of architects, contractors, building services engineers and facilities managers worldwide. Further information on SE Controls’ products, solutions and projects can be obtained by visiting www.secontrols.com or calling +44 (0) 1543 443060.

Tesco superstore shoppers stay safe and cool with SE Controls

Introduction

An integrated smoke and natural ventilation solution from SE Controls is helping ensure that Tesco’s recently completed Walkden superstore in Manchester maintains a safe and comfortable environment for shoppers and staff.

Background

Constructed as part of the £80 million Ellesmere Centre retail development and designed by AEW Architects, the new store replaces an existing Tesco on the same site, but has been expanded to provide more than 168,000 sq.ft of floor area, making it one of Europe’s largest Tesco Extra stores.

Smoke Control and Natural Ventilation Strategy

Working to the smoke control strategy defined by consulting engineers Van Zyl & de Villiers, the store’s expansive glazed atrium was separated into three individual smoke and natural ventilation zones to not only provide the specified smoke extraction capacity, but also enable more accurate temperature control.

In normal day-to-day ventilation mode, the natural ventilation system constantly monitors the temperature in each zone, on both the ground floor and mezzanine level, with the average reading from separate sensors being used to signal the actuation of the atrium vents.

When triggered, the vents initially open by 10% of their full capacity and continue to open in 10% increments up to a maximum of 50% if the temperature rise is maintained, before closing using the same incremental approach until the temperature reduces to 21^°C, when the atrium vents are fully closed.

The SE Controls system also enables the operating algorithms and set points to be changed or fine tuned to meet specific conditions, if necessary, as well as allowing night purging to cool the building’s thermal mass, where the vents open 30 degrees. The SE Controls’ solution also monitors weather conditions to ensure that in rain or high winds, the vents are automatically closed to stop the ingress of water and limit any possible damage.

Each smoke and natural ventilation zone uses a dedicated control panel, which is triggered by the fire alarm system in the event of a fire, causing the atrium vents to open fully, allowing smoke to be vented from the building and ensure escape routes are kept clear.

SE Controls CE and EN12101-2 Products

In smoke ventilation mode the vents open to 87 degrees and are hinged on opposing sides to provide optimum operation and maintain safety even in high wind conditions. A separate battery back up system is also installed to comply with EN12101 part 2 and ISO21927-9 regulations, which enables the controlled opening of the vents should a mains power failure occur. The advantage to this approach rather than a ‘fail-safe’ spring operated system is that is removes any possibility of damage due to rapid opening, while maintaining control in natural ventilations mode, protecting the vent against any potential wind damage while the mains power is restored.

Smoke ventilation and control is a key issue and is the subject of a seminar organised by the Smoke Control Association (SCA), where SE Controls’ Managing Director, Will Perkins, will be presenting on natural smoke ventilation technologies as one of the event’s main speakers. The event is being held on 10^th April 2012 at FETA’s headquarters in Hare Hatch, Reading and is aimed at Building Control Officers, the Fire Service and other stakeholders. Details and booking instructions are available from www.feta.co.uk.

SE Controls specialises in the design, project management and installation of advanced smoke ventilation and natural ventilation solutions to meet the needs of architects, contractors, building services engineers and facilities managers worldwide. Further information on SE Controls’ products, solutions and projects can be obtained by visiting www.secontrols.com or calling +44 (0) 1543 443060.

Top MSc student wins low carbon building design prize from SE Controls

Loughborough University student Jenny Cheung has been awarded the ‘SE Controls’ Prize for Best Overall Performance’ after achieving the highest results on the University’s MSc in Low Carbon Building Design and Modelling.

SE Controls originally created the prize to reward outstanding performance on the course as a further development in the company’s highly productive relationship with Loughborough’s School of Civil and Building Engineering, which involves advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and building energy modelling.

The Loughborough MSc was first introduced in 2009 and developed along a modular structure to meet the evolving needs of modern building services engineers, while reflecting the growing emphasis on sustainability and the use of low carbon technologies in building design, construction and operation. 

Each module on the course, which is accredited by CIBSE and The Energy Institute, is highly detailed and covers aspects such as concept design, renewable energy technologies and energy consumption as well as advanced thermal, airflow and lighting modelling, to ensure students have a complete understanding of the principles and practice of low carbon design.

Prior to enrolling on the MSc, 23-year-old Jenny graduated with a degree in architectural engineering and design management, which she also studied at Loughborough. Having chosen to follow a career in building management, the MSc was a logical next step and Jenny’s innovative approach and her dedication were key factors in her securing the SE Controls’ prize, according to the course Programme Director, Dr Malcolm Cook.

He said: “The calibre of all students was extremely high, which makes Jenny’s achievement all the more impressive. She is clearly a talented individual and her mix of creative thinking coupled with highly detailed and in-depth analysis of the problems set during the course enabled her to present solutions that were both innovative and practical.”

SE Controls specialises in the design, project management and installation of advanced smoke ventilation and natural ventilation solutions to meet the needs of architects, contractors, building services engineers and facilities managers worldwide. Further information on SE Controls’ products, solutions and projects can be obtained by visiting www.secontrols.com or calling +44 (0) 1543 443060.

The Loughborough University School of Civil and Building Engineering is one of the largest multi-disciplinary engineering faculties in the UK. It aims to develop and nurture the skills required to face the challenges of an increasingly complex built environment. Its world-class teaching and research are integrated to support the technical and commercial needs of both industry and society.

The school’s graduates are extremely sought after by industry and commerce, and its undergraduate and postgraduate programmes are consistently ranked as excellent in both student surveys and independent assessments.

SE Controls takes the heat out of new London apartment development

Safety and comfort are at the heart of a major new residential development by Linden Homes in Hammersmith, London, which is using a combined smoke and natural ventilation solution from SE Controls to protect residents in the multi-storey apartment building.

Designed by HAP Architects, the new development is located on Hammersmith’s Glenthorne Road and provides 81 apartments from ground to sixth floor penthouse level, together with a communal roof top terrace, private gardens and secure parking.

To provide a safe means of escape for residents in the event of a fire as well as enabling fire fighters to enter the building, SE Controls developed the smoke ventilation system to remove smoke from corridors and stairwells by using a mix of natural air buoyancy venting and fan extraction through smoke shafts.

On floor one to five, smoke ventilation is provided by extract fans located in the building’s cycle store, with replacement air being supplied through ground floor and air inlet shaft, while the sixth floor is vented by a 1.5m² vent in the top floor corridor and stairs by a similar arrangement at the head of the stair.

In addition to smoke ventilation, the SE Controls’ solution is also designed to provide mechanically assisted natural ventilation to help maintain a comfortable temperature within the building’s corridors. As central heating and hot water distribution pipe work feeds each apartment via the corridors, the potential for the corridors to become overheated in some situations has also been addressed by the system.

On the first five floors, extract fans, which run at half speed, remove warm air from the corridors and the system’s smoke dampers are opened as required by the building’s natural ventilation control panel. On the sixth floor, a dedicated tamper proof thermostat controls the lobby vent while hooded vents allow ventilation during inclement weather conditions.

The integrated smoke and natural ventilation control strategy was developed by SE Controls to meet the specific needs of the apartment building and involved the use of nine OS2 controllers and tamper proof manual control points, as well as a range of temperature sensors and smoke sensors, all of which are linked to the main system control panel with a failsafe battery back up.

Under normal operation, the natural ventilation (NV) system is active between 08:00 and 20:00, which provides ventilation and corridor cooling to the building. The NV controller scans the temperature sensors and allows the end of corridor Automatic Opening Vents (AOVs) to open when required. However, in the event of a fire, where the system is triggered either by a smoke sensor or manually activated, all NV functions are stopped and the OS2 controller for the affected zone signals the fans to run at full speed.

SE Controls’ Project Leader, Brett Cave, explained: “Smoke ventilation is a safety critical factor in residential building design as it not only aids escape and enhances safety, but also assists the fire service by improving access to the building.  This project is one of an increasingly large number where we have developed a combined smoke and natural ventilation solution control strategy that not only enables high safety levels to be maintained, but also improves the environment of the building’s occupants.”

Smoke ventilation and control in apartment buildings is a key issue and is the subject of a seminar organised by the Smoke Control Association (SCA), where SE Controls’ Managing Director, Will Perkins, will be presenting on natural smoke ventilation technologies as one of the event’s main speakers. The event is being held on 10^th April 2012 at FETA’s headquarters in Hare Hatch, Reading and is aimed at Building Control Officers, the Fire Service and other stakeholders. Details and booking instructions are available from FETA’s website www.feta.co.uk.

SE Controls specialises in the design, project management and installation of advanced smoke ventilation and natural ventilation solutions to meet the needs of architects, contractors, building services engineers and facilities managers worldwide. Further information on SE Controls’ products, solutions and projects can be obtained by visiting www.secontrols.com or by calling +44 (0) 1543 443060.

SE Controls gains LABC approval for new smoke ventilation solution

An advanced smoke & heat exhaust ventilation (SHEV) system developed by smoke and natural ventilation specialist SE Controls has received full Registered Detail Certification from the LABC (Local Authority Building Control) following a detailed and extensive performance evaluation process.

The new SHEVTEC® Extended Travel Distance System was developed by SE Controls to provide an off the shelf solution for developers to deliver extended travel distances with a single escape staircase while avoiding the expense of costly CFD modelling.

Due to the safety critical nature of its application, the new system took more than two years to develop fully with SE Controls’ designers and engineers making extensive use of advanced computational fluid dynamics techniques to model a wide range of operating scenarios, building layouts and escape situations.

In addition, the LABC certification registration gives local building control officers (BCO’s) the confidence to accept the SHEVTEC Extended Travel Distance System knowing that it has already been rigorously evaluated and tested. The system’s components are all tested and CE marked to the most recent European Standards and SE Controls believes it the only company that can offer such a high performance solution.

The fully compliant and CE marked system also incorporates a range of additional features that enable specifiers, designers and developers to achieve a more cost effective solution without compromising safety. The SHEVTEC Extended Travel Distance System offers further cost savings to developers by reducing the size of smoke shafts to less than half of the 1.5m² required by an Approved Document B compliant natural ventilation system.

The innovative system has already been installed by SE Controls in a major accommodation project for around 1000 students in Nottingham, which was also monitored and scrutinised as part of the detailed LABC verification process.

Will Perkins, SE Controls’ Managing Director, explained: “This is a significant achievement in smoke ventilation and fire safety as the new system not only provides an effective solution for buildings outside of Approved Document B, but also provides greater freedom for architects, specifiers and developers. Clearly, we are all delighted to be awarded approval by the LABC as it now provides local authorities with a ready made fully compliant solution.”

Recent guidance published by the Smoke Control Association (SCA) covering ‘Guidance on smoke control to common escape routes in apartment buildings, flats and maisonettes’ is the focus of a key seminar being held on 10^th April 2012 at FETA’s headquarters in Hare Hatch, Reading. Aimed at BCOs, the Fire Service and other stakeholders, details and booking instructions are available from FETA’s website www.feta.co.uk.

SE Controls specialises in the design, project management and installation of advanced smoke ventilation
and natural ventilation solutions to meet the needs of architects, contractors, building services engineers and facilities managers worldwide. Further information on SE Controls’ products, solutions and projects can be obtained by visiting www.secontrols.com or calling +44 (0) 1543 443060.

Smoke Ventilation and Natural Ventilation for Salford Royal Hospital

A combined smoke and natural ventilation solution from SE Controls is helping create a comfortable and safe environment for patients, visitors and staff at Salford Royal Hospital’s new £90 million Hope Building.

Designed by architects HKS and constructed by Balfour Beatty, as part of the Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust’s £200 million redevelopment programme, the five storey Hope Building houses a new A&E department as well as providing 242 beds, an emergency assessment unit and critical care facilities.

SE Controls developed the fire engineered smoke and natural ventilation solution around the original fire specification and worked closely with the consultants to create an effective and reliable system that maximises comfort, safety and energy efficiency by linking in to both the building management system (BMS) and the separate fire alarm system.

Within the hospital, the smoke and natural ventilation system is split into two zones to allow maximum control over the temperatures and ventilation needs in both the main concourse and the atrium areas of the building, by using a series of louvres, roof vents and atrium vents controlled by the BMS.

In normal operation, localised sensors throughout the building monitor the temperatures and their patterns of change, feeding constant information to the BMS, which manages the proportional opening and closing of the vents and louvres. This not only ensures that temperatures remain within specified limits but also that the building has a constant flow of fresh air.

SE Controls’ solution also takes account of adverse weather conditions, such as excessively high winds or rain, to ensure that vents are automatically closed to stop the ingress of water and limit any possible damage.

In the event of fire, the alarm system over-rides the BMS, which instantly opens the smoke vents and louvres fully to create a smoke free escape route and access for fire services.

The potential for false alarms and accidental triggering is also addressed by the SE Controls system, as any manual activation by a Manual Control Point (MCP) or individual smoke detector requires a secondary confirmation signal from the aspirator monitoring system. However, if the aspiration system detects a fault, then it switches to ‘fault mode’ where no confirmation signal is required to activate the smoke ventilation if triggered manually or by a smoke detector.

Further fail-safe back up is provided by a separate fully monitored battery back up system in compliance with the requirements of EN12101 standard, as well as a further supply taken from the hospital’s own secondary power system, which effectively provides the entire system with two independent back up supplies.

Mark Hargreaves, SE Controls’ Commercial Manager, explained: “Fire safety is a critical aspect of any building design and in hospitals where there are a large number of people with limited mobility, it is vital that escape routes are kept clear for extended periods to enable them to escape. By combining fire engineered smoke ventilation with highly effective natural ventilation as an integrated solution, the system not only provides failsafe protection, but also provides a comfortable environment for the building’s occupants.”

SE Controls specialises in the design, project management and installation of advanced smoke ventilation and natural ventilation solutions to meet the needs of architects, contractors, building services engineers and facilities managers worldwide. Further information on SE Controls’ products, solutions and projects can be obtained by visiting www.secontrols.com or calling +44 (0) 1543 443060.

SE Controls strengthens its team with six new appointments

Continued success and expansion for smoke and natural ventilation solutions specialist SE Controls, has resulted in the company strengthening its nationwide team with six key new appointments within the last few weeks.

At its Staffordshire head office, Helena Preston joins as Marketing Assistant alongside new Credit Control Auditor, Lindsay Danks and Kate Sansom who takes on the role of National Maintenance Co-ordinator.

The company’s project management and installation team also gets a boost with Stephen Van De Gevel joining as Project Leader for the Northern team together with Tom Jaunzems and Rob Tierney who take up new posts as installation engineers covering the North and Midlands respectively.

These new appointments come just a few months after SE Controls recruited three new trainee project leaders together with an electronics design and controls engineer and the company is expecting to take on around 10 further staff in early 2012 as part of a strategic plan to develop the business and reinforce its core competencies.

 SE Controls’ Managing Director, Will Perkins, commented: “We are clearly focused on developing and providing the best possible smoke and ventilation solutions and to achieve that goal, we need to have excellent people within our team at all levels.”

He added: “Our innovative solutions have not only enabled us to win key projects, such as this year’s RIBA Stirling prize winning, the Evelyn Grace Academy, but also a range of other prestigious contracts both in the UK and internationally. However, it is our people that enable us to deliver the technical excellence, project support and customer service, which is why we have taken on these new staff and we’re looking to enhance our team further next year.”

SE Controls specialises in the design, project management and installation of advanced smoke ventilation and natural ventilation solutions to meet the needs of architects, contractors, building services engineers and facilities managers worldwide. Further information on SE Controls’ products, solutions and projects can be obtained by visiting www.secontrols.com or calling +44 (0) 1543 443060.

Triple RIBA Stirling Prize success for SE Controls

The hotly contested 2011 RIBA Stirling Prize has resulted in a triple success for SE Controls as its specialised smoke and natural ventilation solutions are used not only in Zaha Hadid’s stunning award winning design for Brixton’s Evelyn Grace Academy, but also in two of the other five shortlisted finalists.

The Evelyn Grace Academy incorporates four separate schools within a single building and to ensure that high levels of natural light are available throughout the building, the exterior makes full use of glass cladding, which forms part of the natural heating and ventilation incorporated within the design.

Control and management of natural ventilation system’s concealed vents is handled by more than 70 SE Controls OS2 Controllers linked to the building management system (BMS) to provide incremental operation of the vents to ensure ample fresh air is supplied at all times throughout the building.

Natural ventilation also forms part of the SE Controls’ solution installed at another RIBA Stirling Prize finalist, the new Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford upon Avon. SE Controls provided the smoke and natural ventilation strategy in the rebuilt restaurant area, the colonnade and the link bridge connecting the building to a newly built observation tower.

The multi-zone smoke and natural ventilation solution developed and installed for the RSC theatre by SE Controls utilises a range of EN12101-2 chain actuators connected to dedicated zone control panels as part of the fire alarm system and linked to the building’s BMS. The natural ventilation solution is also linked to the smoke ventilation system to clear smoke and enable visitors to evacuate the building in the event of a fire.

Darren Wainwright, SE Controls’  Project Leader, commented: “These two projects, together with our involvement in the Olympic Velodrome, reinforce the important role that effective smoke and natural ventilation play in modern architecture. While we might not provide the vision for these outstanding pieces of architecture, our role is to ensure that the ventilation and building safety needs meet the demanding specifications and I’m delighted that we have been involved in these three unique buildings.”

SE Controls specialises in the design, project management and installation of advanced smoke ventilation and natural ventilation solutions to meet the needs of architects, contractors, building services engineers and facilities managers.