Intelligent Siemens fire detection system delivered for The HYLO Tower

Once just a 15-storey square building, The HYLO Tower is now a 29-storey monolith that proudly joins the ranks of London’s tall towers. Located in the heart of the capital and conveniently positioned just five minutes’ walk from Old Street London Underground Station and six minutes from Moorgate, it offers 261,000 square feet of prime office space.

Construction to extend the original 16 floors by a further 13 began in 2018 and was completed last year.

Siemens boasts a network of approved and valued UK partners who are skilled in installing its advanced fire detection systems. For The HYLO Tower project, partner GBE:Converge – itself a long-established company that offers first-class fire and security services – was selected by construction firm Mace to design, install and commission the tower’s fire detection system using Siemens’ advanced fire detection products.

The project

GBE:Converge was engaged to manage the life safety system for the commercial areas of the building. Dave Collins, contracts manager at GBE:Converge, said: “The scope for us was to supply, install and commission the entire life safety system, which includes a Public Address and Voice Alarm (ie PAVA) system, an enhanced audio system for the reception area, an emergency evacuation system and the fire detection system.”

Collins added: “We decided to collaborate with Siemens for fire detection and it worked perfectly for this project. The team at Siemens were brilliant, offering support to the design and delivery teams for the duration of the project, and particularly so from a technical perspective.”

The challenges

Throughout the original design of the building, GBE:Converge discovered metal mesh ceilings in some areas. The project team was unsure as to whether smoke would penetrate the mesh so had to go back to the plan, gather all the details about the ceiling and find a solution. Once researched, it was identified that the free area of mesh was sufficient to facilitate air/smoke flow to detectors.

The basement and lift shafts proved a challenge for accessibility for installation and future maintenance using point detection, with the team therefore adapting the design to include aspirating smoke detection in these locations.

Importantly, the system also had to incorporate phased evacuation. Necessary for high-rise buildings, evacuation first takes place on the floor where the alarm is triggered and the floor directly above it. It’s a process which is critical to prevent congestion on staircases.

Dave Collins explained: “Overall, this project presented few challenges for us, but where we did encounter issues, we worked with Siemens for product advice and kept the customer briefed at all times on potential solutions, while also informing them of any design changes.”

The solution

The design of the fire detection system was the remit for the GBE:Converge design team members, who liaised closely with Siemens to select the best products for the project. Central to the design is Siemens’ Cerberus PRO control panels and range of C-NET devices, which provide an L1 category of detection to meet the BS5839-1:2017 Code of Practice.

Collins confirmed: “We chose the Cerberus PRO range of detection equipment due to its versatility, false alarm immunity and its ability to manage complex cause and effect, not to mention that fact that the aesthetic appearance of all automatic fire detection devices is similar, regardless of their function.”

Installed on-site are ten Cerberus PRO fire alarm control panels networked to each other and with the main fire alarm repeater panel located in The HYLO Tower’s management room. The room is occupied by an operator on a 24-hour basis, who receives a signal from the main fire control panel when there is an alert on the system. The main fire alarm panel itself is installed in the fire Control Room and supported by a fireman’s indication panel and fire microphone to allow the Fire and Rescue Service to broadcast manual instructions as and when needed.

Also incorporated within the system are Siemens’ smart detectors with ASA technology. These are intelligent, multi-criteria detectors that check for heat and smoke by using two optical sensors and the same number of heat sensors. In building locations such as kitchen areas where steam from a kettle or burnt food could provoke a false alarm, an ASA detector will know there is no real fire and disregard the event as a threat.

Danger of complacency

When a fire detection system is subject to frequent false alarms, building occupants can become complacent. Their reaction speed may be slower and ‘fire alarm apathy’ might occur, which can then create potentially life-threatening situations.

The GBE:Converge system design includes Siemens false alarm-free sounder beacons that perform their own automatic 24-hour self-tests to check the optical and acoustic element of the device. The tests are silent, which means that office occupants do not know that they are happening and can enjoy a disturbance-free working environment.

A report of the device’s overall performance is transmitted to the main fire control panel. If there is a fault or a change in performance level, the user has the opportunity to plan a solution.

The outcome

Thanks to the intuitive system design and the installation delivered by the GBE:Converge team, together with the Siemens advanced fire detection products, the occupants of The HYLO Tower enjoy an interruption-free environment. Their safety is assured on a daily basis thanks to intelligent fire detection technology that is compliant, connected and integrated with other life safety systems.

Dave Collins concluded: “Following the successful installation and commissioning of the system and comprehensive training having been provided for end users, GBE:Converge has been awarded the ongoing maintenance contract for the building, which demonstrates that our collaboration with Siemens has resulted in a happy and satisfied customer.”

*Further information on dedicated fire products developed by Siemens is available online at www.siemens.co.uk/cerberus

**Detail concerning Siemens Smart Infrastructure can be accessed at www.siemens.com/smart-infrastructure