Protec Deploys A Complete Fire Detection System, With VEPA And Disabled WC Alarm System, At London Aquatics Centre

The London Aquatics Centre is located in Stratford, on the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park complex and is designed by renowned architect, Zaha Hadrid. Constructed by Balfour Beatty in 2008 and completed in July 2011, well in time ready to feature in the 2012 Summer Olympics and Paralympics events.

London Aquatics Centre

The London Aquatics Centre is home to a 50-meter competition swimming pool, a 25-meter competition diving pool and a 50-meter warm-up pool, with all of them featuring a movable floor. The movable floor makes the depth of pools adjustable, along with the movable boom system that changes the size of the pools, as and when required.

After the Olympic Games ended, the London Legacy Development (LLD) closed the London Aquatics Centre, to carry out re-development work. The building was handed over to the community and used by the surrounding members of the public. The building had an initial capacity of 17,500 spectators, when the Olympics took place. However, in 2014, when the building re-opened post re-development, the seating had been reduced to 2,800 spectators, which can be expanded by a further 1000 spectators, when large events occur.

Total fire protection solution

London Aquatics Centre required a complete package, featuring fire detection, VEPA and toilet alarm systems

London Aquatics Centre required a complete package, featuring fire detection, voice evacuation/public address (VEPA) and accessible toilet alarm systems. The systems had to meet BS5839 recommendations, while taking into account various environmental constraints.

Humid conditions and high ceilings were just a couple of issues highlighted. The future re-development would also need to be taken into account, at the design stage, for the partial removal of the system, when the project was downsized, as part of the London Legacy Project, after the Olympic Games ended.

Protec 6000 series fire alarm system

Protec offered a complete fire detection system with wide coverage to the Aquatics Centre. The installation features a Protec 6000 series fire alarm system. The system consists of a fire alarm control panel linked to multiple loop expansion units, which are located strategically around the building, via a secure fire alarm network.

The fire alarm system offered ten fire alarm loops, which monitored and controlled the Protec 6000 series fire alarm devices, around the site. The fire alarm devices consisted of a mixture of smoke detectors, heat detectors, manual call points and wall-mounted beacons, across the site.

Voice Evacuation/ Public Address System

Alongside the fire alarm and air sampling systems, a Voice Evacuation/ Public Address System (VEPA) system was also installed, within the building. As the building hosted a maximum of 17,500 spectators, in a confined space, the evacuation procedures put in place needed to be carried out quickly and effectively, with as little distress to the spectators as possible.

This type of scenario lends itself well to a VEPA system, as the evacuation messages of a voice evacuation system is proven to cause less alarm and distress, in comparison to that of a tone-type fire alarm sound, making the evacuation of a building lot quicker and safer.

VEPA rack suites

VEPA system consisted of a series of 13 VEPA rack suites to broadcast the music, public address and evacuation messages

The VEPA system consisted of a series of 13 VEPA rack suites to broadcast the music, public address and evacuation messages, to the 582 speakers that are located around the complex.

The VEPA rack suites were fully engineered, in line with the strict Q/A procedures, at Protec’s central production facility in Nelson, Lancashire and comprised of amplification, digital programmable matrix (DSP), five-disc CD player, fault monitoring and battery backup.

The VEPA system offered several underwater speakers, once installed in the swimming pools, and this broadcasted music to the synchronized swimmers, during the Olympic events.

Disabled WC Alarm System

In addition to the other fire safety systems, Protec provided a disabled WC alarm system. Due to the enormous size of the building, it called for a large-scale disabled WC system. The majority of disabled WC alarms on the market rely on radial-type wiring configurations. It becomes an issue on large scale installations, as they call for a vast amount of materials and installation time.

Protec decided that this project would benefit from a more bespoke system. So, to that end, they re-purposed a fire alarm panel and used it as a disabled toilet alarm system. The system benefits from one complete loop and monitor multiple Protec 6000 series fire alarm interfaces, which link to the relay inputs of the 49 standalone disabled WC alarms, located around the complex.

The Aftercare

Since completion of the initial construction of the London Aquatics Centre, LLD appointed Protec to carry out the works that were required for the re-development of the project. The contract reduced the size of the aquatics center, from the initial 17,500 seats capacity, down to 2,800 seats and handed back the center to the community, for sporting and community events.

Protec continues to offer a fully comprehensive service and maintenance contract for the London Aquatics Centre, providing 24-hours a day, 365 days a year responsive call-out service.