Smoke Ventilation for 98 Hobsonville

Keeping the rain out is a familiar requirement for a warehouse roof. Letting smoke and heat out deserves just as much consideration. At 98 Hobsonville in Auckland, ten large roof-mounted ventilators provide an escape route for both, as part of a fire safety design that extends beyond the equipment visible overhead.

Designed by BSW Architects and constructed by Waide Commercial, the development comprises two large warehouses, each requiring dedicated smoke and heat exhaust ventilation. Smoke and hot gases rise, making the roof a logical place to provide an outlet. Getting them out of the building calls for purpose-designed equipment, with performance that can be demonstrated rather than simply assumed.

Ventuer supplied ten Mercor-MLR Louvred Smoke Ventilators, each measuring 3.8m by 1.25m. Certified to EN 12101-2, these ventilators open when activated in the event of a fire, allowing smoke and hot gases to escape naturally. Each provides 3.04m² of aerodynamic free area, giving the project a combined 30.4m². Six ventilators serve Warehouse A, with the remaining four serving Warehouse B.

The controls needed to do more than operate the roof vents. The project also called for a low-battery warning from the uninterruptible power supplies (UPS) to the building’s fire alarm panel, so the backup supply could be attended to before it became a problem. It is a small but important distinction: having backup power is reassuring, but knowing when it needs attention makes that reassurance rather more useful.

The standard control equipment did not offer this functionality, so Ventuer supplied an upgraded control package with a dedicated panel for each warehouse. Each panel incorporated a UPS and relay output card to provide the required warning signal, bringing control of the ventilators and monitoring of their backup supply together in one arrangement.

The result is a smoke ventilation package that addresses both the exhaust openings and the monitoring of their backup power supplies. A low-battery warning is unlikely to feature in the project photographs, but it gives a potential problem somewhere useful to announce itself. In a system designed for an emergency, that is a detail worth getting right.

For more information on the Mercor-MLR Louvred Smoke Ventilator, or to discuss smoke ventilation requirements for a similar project, get in touch with our team.