The mechanical and electrical work has begun on the prestigious O2 Arena Development on London’s Greenwich peninsula, part of a £121m scheme which will see the development of a new InterContinental hotel, residential apartments building and conference center facilities. Balfour Beatty, the construction firm behind the Greenwich development, broke ground in a ceremony last month marking the start of works to regenerate the 7.6 acre site.
The centerpiece of the development will be ‘The InterContinental London The O2’, a 19-storey, 452-room five-star hotel containing a massive 4,800 square meters of space for conferences and events. The development will also include The Peninsula Tower, a 23-storey building offering 100 serviced apartments with views across the Thames and South London.
HESIS collaborates with HE Simm
HESIS has worked alongside building services specialist, HE Simm for a project in November 2013
HESIS, a company that specializes in the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance for Mechanical & Electrical and Fire and Security across the UK, won the contract to provide the fire and security systems across the entire site. HESIS has worked alongside building services specialist HE Simm, when they became involved in the project in November 2013.
Barry Juggins, Managing Director, HESIS said, “We became involved in the initial stages when HE Simm was bidding for the scheme. Since then, we have worked very closely with them and offered a proactive approach to the design which was seen as a huge positive, particularly in a scheme of this size. This is one of the largest installations we have undertaken and we are delighted to be working on such a prestigious project.”
Gent Fire Detection and Alarm solution (FD&A)
HESIS has selected a Gent by Honeywell fire detection and alarm (FD&A) solution to be installed throughout the three buildings. The company is part of the Gent 24 Network and was recently awarded Elite System Integrator status. This achievement means Hesis has been recognized as supplying, designing, installing and commissioning Gent equipment to the highest standards.
Barry Juggins said, “The whole development is Gent throughout, with more than 2,000 devices being installed across the three buildings. The system was selected to meet the customer’s exacting brief – they are aiming to create the ultimate five star hotel and part of this experience will be ensuring that the guests are protected by the market leading technology.”
Fully integrated Fire and Detection system
The specific FD&A solution incorporates a fully integrated system that includes loop Vigilon panels and Gent’s innovative S-Quad sensing technology. The S-Quad range of multifunction devices includes sensors with sounder, speech and EN54-23 certified visual alarms. This allows the maximum flexibility for designers providing cover for a building. The advanced sensing technology is enhanced with a device that can alert building occupants with a highly visible visual alarm and a recorded voice message to ensure all occupants are alerted to an emergency.
Barry Juggins continued, “There will be S-Quad devices with speech throughout the hotel and apartments, with a full Gent PA/VA system in the Conference Centre. We have opted for dual optical and heat detection in the bedrooms to avoid unnecessary false alarms, due to the particular environmental conditions.
Gent Air Sampling detection (ASD) systems
We will also be utilizing the Gent Air Sampling detection systems in the voids above the conference centre and the fixed ceilings"
He adds, “We will also be utilizing the Gent Air Sampling Detection (ASD) systems in the voids above the conference center and the fixed ceilings, as they will provide the earliest detection and will be much easier to maintain in the future. We’re confident that the elements of speech messaging and reduction in false alarms will undoubtedly add to the quality feel and customer experience.”
The hotel has been designed to be sustainable to BREEAM ‘Excellent’ standards and has been built on land reclaimed from previously polluted soil and will have the latest sustainable features such as ‘green’ roofs and surrounds to harvest water to reduce demand on the mains supply.
Innovative building technologies
Construction for the project will be carried out in just two years, helped by the innovative building techniques, and the installation for the FD&A system is due to is completed at the end of this year.
Barry Juggins concluded, “The scheme has been fairly straight forward, the main challenge is the fact that it is three separate builds, the hotel, conference center and apartments, all running concurrently and completing at the same time. The hotel is set to open in the summer 2015 and visitors, residents and employees will be safe in the knowledge that they are being given the ultimate form of protection by the most robust Gent FD&A solution.”
