SE Controls - Smoke and Natural Ventilation Control Systems

Northwood MoD HQ

RED Architectural approached SE Controls to provide actuators and controls for their smoke evacuation system on a redevelopment project at The Northwood MoD Headquarters. The regeneration, phased over a 5 year period, involves the demolition of a large number of existing buildings plus conversion and refurbishment of facilities.

Carillion are the main contractor on the £880m construction and redevelopment of the 17-hectare site that is the permanent Joint Headquarters of the Chief of Joint Operations and the Multi National Headquarters. In addition, it is home to one of the worldwide NATO Headquarters. RED architectural are employed to provide the curtain walling and have asked SE Controls to provide actuators for the Main Office Rooflights and Main Stairwells and a means to control them for Smoke Evacuation.

For the Main Office Rooflights, SE Controls have supplied and installed 12No side hung Linear SCLA 24 150’s with a stroke of 800mm. Side hung Automatic Opening Vents have been selected due to receiving a larger Geometric free area while minimising the cost of a larger stroke actuator on the lead face of the vent. A 90amp modular panel was supplied and commissioned by SEC and will control the actuators in the event of smoke alarm activation, to clear the office of smoke in the event of a fire.

For the end of corridor stairwells, SE Controls have supplied and installed 7No SCCO 24 30, 800mm stroke chain actuators to bottom hung open out, Schuco smoke vents. An OS2 controller has been provided to control the rooflight on Stairwell 1 and 4No 60amp modular panels to control the vents and rooflights on the remaining stairwells 3, 4, 5, and 6. The panels will open only the vents on the floors with smoke so that there will be no return of smoke into other areas. All stairwells can be manually reset via local override switches.