A network of 19 Axis EN fire panels from UK manufacturer, Advanced, has been installed at the Wafi Hotel complex and Mall in Dubai. Wafi City is a mixed-use development in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The complex includes a mall, hotels, restaurants, residences, and a nightclub. The city is styled in the theme of Ancient Egypt.
In total, 19 EN54-approved Axis EN fire panels, including an integrated fire telephone system, and 7,500 devices have been installed across the $750 million Wafi Hotel and Mall development project. The site itself comprises a 50-story, 5-star hotel and serviced apartment tower, in addition to the mall which has undergone a 100,000m² expansion that includes a hypermarket, retail spaces, 19-screen cinema complex, and parking.
Installed at the hotel, which boasts 501 luxury guestrooms and 86 suites, a ballroom, numerous conference, and hospitality facilities as well as a temperature-controlled pool deck, are 14 4-loop, 2-loop, and 1-loop Axis EN fire panels and 5,500 devices. Included in the active fire protection measures for the Wafi Mall, cinema, and car park are a further five Axis EN fire panels of 4-loop and 2-loop variants, alongside an additional 2000 devices.
Installation, Testing, and Commissioning
Advanced partners Cignetix Systems were responsible for the installation and testing of the entire system Advanced partners Cignetix Systems were responsible for the installation, testing, and commissioning of the entire system. Due to the size of the 205,000 m² expansion project, Cignetix’s client required a solution capable of delivering reliable and versatile protection across a site with a range of different area uses, and with appropriate false alarm management strategies applied where necessary.
Sunil Gopalkrishnan, Managing Director at Cignetix Systems, said: “Cignetix installs Advanced fire protection solutions across a number of high-rise commercial and residential buildings, retail premises and hotels in Dubai. We find Advanced products both simple to install and easy to configure, so they were the obvious choice when it came to specifying the fire alarm system for this project.”
Product Selection Process
Involved in the product selection process for the fire protection at the Wafi Hotel complex and Mall was Mr. R.C Nair, a veteran in the field of life safety systems and General Manager of the foremost, Dubai-based fire contractor company, Spectrum International. During this process, Mr. R.C Nair’s involvement added value in concluding the best possible options to meet the specification laid down by the Consulting Engineers, M/s. Hidi Rae and M/s. Arkiteknik, ensuring the highest standards of protection.
In consideration of the site’s false alarm management strategy, a positive alarm sequence has been programmed to effectively reduce unwanted alarms. By introducing verification and investigation delays, qualified staff are able to investigate the source of the fire alarm signal and identify its validity before the fire panel goes into full alarm. These measures help to effectively manage false alarms, which can otherwise have significant cost implications on businesses and lead to complacency, compromising safety.
Axis EN is EN54 parts 2, 4, and 13 approved and its panels can be used in single-loop, single-panel format or easily configured into high speed, multi-loop panels in 200 node networks covering huge areas. Advanced products’ ease of installation and configuration as well as the range of peripherals available make it customizable to almost any application.
Authority comments
Advanced solution provides Cignetix’s client with the peace of mind of knowing that people are safe from the threat of fire Steve Carroll, General Manager for the Middle East at Advanced, said: “We’re thrilled to protect this fantastic addition to Wafi City. With hundreds of thousands of visitors to the Wafi Hotel complex and Mall each year, an Advanced solution provides Cignetix’s client with the peace of mind of knowing that those living, working or relaxing on the development are safe from the threat of fire.”
Advanced Fire Telephone Solution
Advanced’s fire telephone solution is ideal for high and low-rise apartment buildings, hotels, universities, government and military sites where local fire departments and emergency personnel need access to fire/emergency communications.
Designed for clear, easy-to-use control, the conventional system benefits from LED status indications showing its operational state – whether the system has a call-in, is connected, or is in a fault condition. The fire telephone system is compliant with EN54 parts 2 and 4 and can be configured as either a standalone, independent system or completely integrated into the Axis EN fire system.
