360-degree approach to fire protection at Dubai office complex

A host of fire and life safety solutions from Advanced have been installed to protect 26,000m² of grade A office space in Mohammed Bin Rashid City, Dubai. EN 54-approved Axis EN fire panels with integrated voice evacuation and fire telephone systems have been installed across four seven-storey office buildings at the prestigious Dubai Hills Estate Business Park.

Cignetix Systems was responsible for the installation, testing and commissioning of the Advanced Axis EN fire panels at the site. The company also integrated its graphic command centres for system monitoring and configured its AlarmCalm software for false-alarm management and reduction.

The Axis EN system comprises five 4-loop panels with integrated telephone systems, two 2-loop and four 1-loop panels as well as a repeater. It is connected to over 1,000 detectors in each of the four office blocks, as well as to the site’s PC-based graphical mapping system, which is in turn connected to the Dubai Civil Defence for monitoring.

The system has been designed so that it is easy for new tenants to add more panels and devices to the network, depending on their individual fire-protection requirements.

Sunil Kumar Gopalkrishnan, Managing Director of Cignetix Systems, said: ‘Cignetix has worked with Advanced’s solutions for many years, and we were entirely confident that its fire system could deliver the levels of performance and functionality required to offer a high level of protection across this prestigious site.

‘We programmed a two-stage positive alarm sequence to support the site’s false-alarm management strategy. We also integrated the fire system with a range of third-party systems including access control lifts, air handling units and smoke control to make it easier for end users to monitor and control the system on a day-to-day basis.’

Gary Craig, Sales Director at Advanced, said: ‘Cignetix has taken a 360-degree approach to fire protection at the Dubai Hills Estate Business Park. They’ve carefully considered not only fire detection and notification but also false alarm management, graphical monitoring and system integration.

‘The result is a sophisticated system that will provide many years of robust and reliable fire protection for the business park’s users and infrastructure.’

The commercial development, completed in 2019, is home to the headquarters of Emaar Properties, a multinational real estate development company and Dubai’s largest property developer. The business park was among the first to comply with the Dubai Green Building Rating System, Al Sa’fat, bringing together a host of sustainable practices and solutions to reduce environmental impacts.

Axis EN panels are EN54 parts 2, 4 and 13 approved and can be used in single-loop, single-panel format or easily configured into high-speed, multi-loop networks of up to 200 nodes covering huge areas. AlarmCalm software comes as standard and allows the false-alarm management strategy for a particular site to be precisely refined to take account of occupants’ needs and area usage. An optional AlarmCalm button allows occupants or trained staff to confirm whether a signal in their area is due to a false alarm.

Advanced, owned by FTSE 100 company Halma PLC, protects a wide range of prestigious and high-profile sites across the globe – from London’s Shard to Abu Dhabi International Airport and the Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macau Bridge.

Advanced is a world leader in the development and manufacture of intelligent fire systems. Advanced’s reputation for performance, quality and ease of use see its products specified in locations around the world, from single-panel installations to large, multi-site networks. Its range of products includes complete fire detection systems, multiprotocol fire panels, extinguishing control, fire paging and false alarm management systems.

Halma is a global group of life-saving technology companies with a clear purpose to grow a safer, cleaner, healthier future for everyone, every day.