A business park offering a mix of office and laboratory space with piped oxygen and compressed air on tap? Now there’s a challenge for a fire safety solution, as Keith Minster, sales manager UK and Ireland at Morley-IAS by Honeywell, explains.

Over 2000 detectors have been installed at the site

For many installations, the word ‘flexibility’ often appears on the shopping list of attributes for a new fire safety system. Yet scratch below the surface and the reality is that often this is little more than a tick-box request, indicating that something more than a standard off-the-shelf solution is required.

However, when managers at the Wilton Centre, a 75-acre business park based in Teesside, needed to replace their existing 15-year old system in their main building back in 2003, the need for a truly flexible fire safety solution sat firmly at the top of their list.

The result is a Morley-IAS fire system, installed by national implementation partner, Swift Fire & Security, and phased over several years to ensure a seamless transition and meeting the tight budgetary parameters set.

The tough requirements imposed by the Wilton Centre presented its own unique set of challenges. The ability of a replacement fire safety system to complement existing equipment in ensuring ‘business as usual’ both during and after implementation remains a key objective for many organisations in selecting an appropriate system.

Similarly, there is an increased focus on refurbishment and upgrades as capital expenditure on new building programmes is cut back in both the public and private sectors. As a result, the flexibility and inter-operability of Morley-IAS solutions enabling building operators to maximise their existing fire safety investment and do more with less, is proving especially attractive.

Ongoing change of use
Formerly a central research and development centre for chemical company ICI, the site was sold in 2000 and now provides specialist rental accommodation, principally to process-centric businesses and their suppliers. This includes substantial office space and more than 90 laboratories, as well as pilot plant and technical development facilities. Shared central services also include reception, conference rooms, a restaurant and a post room.

“There are few facilities in the UK that can match our ability to support businesses in this way,” says Wilton Centre engineering manager, Richard Short. “In providing ready-equipped laboratories including, where required, piped nitrogen, compressed air, electricity, demineralised water or specialist draining systems, companies can be up and running effectively from day one of occupancy.”

The Wilton Centre continues to work with companies of all sizes, from small start-ups requiring a single office or laboratory to a central research base for a global organisation employing nearly 100 staff.

The decision to implement a Morley-IAS ZX-based system was made because it was recognised as being ideally suited to provide the inherent agility required by the Wilton Centre. “We were impressed that both Morley-IAS and Swift Fire & Security took the time to understand precisely the unusual demands of the site,” said Richard Short.

As a result the proposed system – incorporating a central panel, supported by eight slave panels and more than 2,000 detectors – was designed to provide the inter-operability and flexible configuration needed.

Of equal importance, managers at the centre were keen to undertake a step-by-step-implementation programme over a five-year period, in order to both spread the cost and minimise disruption to the management of the site or its tenants. The selected system enabled them to undertake this extended transition seamlessly and cost-effectively.

The fire system needs to be capable of being adapted to changes in use by tenants

 In stage one, Swift Fire & Security replaced the main panel, maintaining continuous protection across the site via a series of temporary interfaces. Over the next four years, each of the remaining legacy panels were replaced with a series of ZX panels and loops, with the temporary interfaces remaining in place until commissioning was complete in each case.

Addressability was another key factor in choosing the Morley-IAS solution. Previously, a mimic panel was only able to identify in which building and on which floor an alarm had been triggered. Now it is possible to pinpoint precisely the office or laboratory under alarm and deal with the problem quickly and effectively, to the benefit of both the Wilton Centre and its tenants.

Flexible fire detection
Eight years on, the initial promise has been fulfilled. Installation is now complete, with the solution providing trouble-free installation and ongoing performance. The ease of configuration has also enabled each tenant’s requirements to be met quickly and simply, reinforcing the Wilton Centre’s reputation as an adaptable and responsive landlord.

In one case, where a new tenant used processes involving significant levels of smoke and vapour, Swift Fire & Security installed heat rise detectors in order to minimise the incidence of false alarms. Where another tenant required a large area comprising individual offices to be converted into a large open plan facility, the system was quickly and effectively re-configured to accommodate this new requirement.

Richard Short summarises the effectiveness and true flexibility of the solution provided: “Whenever the terms of a new tenancy have involved significant change of use, Morley-IAS and Swift Fire & Security have been able to adapt the fire protection system to meet the new requirements and within the deadlines set for the new occupancy.”

Keith Minster is sales manager UK and Ireland at Morley-IAS by Honeywell