Fire

Emergency lighting for boutique hotel

by Mark Rowe

Càmina Suite & Spa, a luxury hotel in Italy’s Cortina d’Ampezzo ski resort, has had fitted fire protection emergency lighting as part of extension works.

With bedrooms across seven floors, the hotel sought reliable fire detection and emergency lighting. Hosting up to 45 guests, a chosen product had to offer protection and wayfinding for residents in the unlikely event of a life safety incident. Clear escape routes and pinpointing the location of a fire are essential for any hotel of this kind as unfamiliar surroundings can prolong the exiting of a building during an evacuation, especially at night. Studio Sinthesi Engineering srl, project designers, selected Hochiki Europe’s FIREscape+ product, as a bespoke solution that would fit within the hotel’s boutique design. The self-testing fire and emergency lighting was installed throughout the hotel. FIREscape+ is tested to a high number of European certifications, the manufacturers point out.

Mirko Corsini, project manager for Hochiki Italia, based in Verona, said: “We spent a lot of time getting to grips understanding exactly what was important for the end user. FIREscape+ was the obvious answer for this hotel, given the need for a fail-proof, reliable, sustainable and compliant emergency lighting system. Combining two of our most successful programs onto the same loop panel – FIREscape and the ESP fire detection system – we were able to ensure that emergency lighting is operational in the event of the fire, without the need for mains supply failure. This means that guests can find the safest exit route, tailored to each life safety incident, and increase their chance of survival.”

The wayfinding includes the option of dual function exit signs that normally performs as standard emergency lighting, displaying the internationally recognised exit symbols. In the event of a fire, the system will automatically determine and change the state of the signs based on the location of the fire. If a fire is blocking an exit path, a red cross will display in place of the traditional symbols.

False alarm management and reduction is also important for reliability; the integration of Hochiki Europe’s Enhanced Systems Protocol (ESP) means that every 24 hours, the system checks for changes to the surrounds and re-calibrates the sensors accordingly. Each sensor can be adjusted to match the expected risk of its surrounds, while alarm verification uses time delay algorithms to eliminate unwanted alarms.

Another consideration for Càmina Suite & Spa was energy consumption; which FIREscape+ could reduce in a number of ways. FIREscape+ units only require 40V to each unit ad run on low voltage cabling, unlike traditional emergency lighting systems that require 230V. The low voltage cabling lowers the overall energy consumption of the system, reducing the CO2e emissions for a greener solution and also negates the need for a qualified electrician to carry out the installation. FIREscape+ is also an intelligent system as each component is addressed and monitored by the system control panel. Notified of the issue via the keypads, facilities managers can then rectify any problems.

The hotel is set within the Dolomites, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. To merge the interior with the new fire detection and emergency lighting system, designers Sinthesi Engineering worked with Hochiki on a bespoke look. Pierpaolo Andreola, owner of Sinthesi Engineering said: “The customer service that Hochiki Italia offer is outstanding. From frequent site visits to expert advice, Mirko and his team have helped us find a fire and emergency lighting system that was not only aesthetically pleasing but also met our specific design brief. Being able to work with Hochiki and design our own bespoke life safety solution was a unique luxury that we rarely come across. This collaboration made our job much easier.”

Umberto Riccardo Guitani, hotel manager at Càmina Suite & Spa said: “We couldn’t be happier with the installation as we now have assurance that our staff and guests have the best possible protection. Not only that, the finished system looks great and fits perfectly within the new look of the hotel.”

Visit https://www.hochikieurope.com/product/firescape-plus.

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