The Media City in Salford Quays is the UK’s first purpose-built media hub built on the banks of the Manchester Ship Canal. Construction started in 2007 with the site owner, Peel Group as the developer and Bovis Lend Lease as the main contractor for the 200-acre site which was opened by the Queen in March 2012.
The principal tenant, the BBC moved five London-based departments to the NW development – with as many as 1,600 jobs re-located from London, as well as several major BBC departments including BBC Children’s, Sport, New Media, Five Live and Breakfast to MCUK by the end of 2011.
Fire alarm system
Peel Group selected Protec Fire & Security Group to install a fully networked fire alarm system, IP CCTV and SALTO Access control systems to look after its valued clients including:
- The BBC.
- ITV Granada.
- Holiday Inn.
- SIS – Satellite Information Services.
- Salford University Media Division.
- Various tenants – Bars & Restaurants.
Commission fire detection
Buildings and facilities protected by Protec Fire Detection plc:
- Quay House is the BBC’s 135,000-square-foot main building from where BBC Breakfast, Match of the Day, BBC Radio 5 Live, North West Tonight and BBC Radio Manchester are all broadcast from.
- Bridge House is where Blue Peter, Mastermind, Dragons Den & BBC Bitesize are all produced.
- Dock House contains the BBC’s Research, Religion and Ethics departments. Protec assisted with the design and installed a sophisticated fire alarm and detection system incorporating color graphics display, voice alarm, disabled refuge and loop induction systems for all the BBC buildings. The three BBC buildings are all networked and display on the graphics display in the control room to assist in determining the origin of the source of the alarm.
- The Orange Tower Building houses departments from the University of Salford on three floors and ITV Granada occupies a further seven floors. Protec assisted in the design, installation and commissioning of the fire, voice alarms and security systems including CCTV, access and intruder alarms and disabled refuge and loop induction systems.
- The Blue Tower Building has amongst its tenants SIS ‘Satellite Information Services’. SIS is the UK & Ireland’s most prominent television programming and data sports services supplier, who re-located from their London headquarters to occupy three floors of the Blue Tower at Media City in July 2012. Protec helped design, install and commission fire detection, sprinklers, CCTV, access, intruder, disabled refuge and loop induction systems.
- The Studios operated by Peel located on Broadway, contain seven high-definition studios, claimed by Peel Media to be the largest such facility in Europe. The larger of two audio studios, sitting on hydraulic jacks to insulate it from noise generated in the surrounding studios, is dedicated to the BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Protec helped to design, install and commission the fire alarm and detection, voice alarm, CCTV, access, intruder, disabled refuge and loop induction systems.
- The Studio block contains offices and the glass-fronted, 16-story Holiday Inn hotel. Protec supplied and commissioned the fire systems and designed and installed the security systems.
- TheHeart and NumberOne are the two residential apartment complexes providing 378 apartments in two tower blocks. TheHeart is a 22-story apartment building on the quayside and NumberOne; another 22-story building is next to the studio facilities in which Protec supplied and commissioned the fire alarm and detection systems.
- MSCP – A multi-story car park for staff, tenants and visitors to MCUK is at the north of the development which also houses significant energy plant. Protec designed, installed and commissioned the fire alarm and detection, gas extinguishing systems and the CCTV and access control security systems.
Networked fire alarm
Peel’s FM provider CBRE & Interserve FM has also selected Protec, to service and maintain the Media City site’s significant networked fire alarm and detection systems and much of the security systems.
Due to the size of the site Protec work alongside CBRE & Interserve FM by having a dedicated account manager which attends meetings with the FM provider regularly. Media City also benefits traditional service and maintenance contract offering 24-hour day, 365 days a year reactive call out service.
