Automated Control Systems, Inc. recently completed a $2.7 million BAS integration as part of the renovation and expansion of Monroe Hall on the campus of Loyola University in New Orleans.
Will my smoke control system work properly during a fire? That is the question all building owners/operators should ask themselves. Smoke control systems are unique in that they often sit dormant (sometimes for years) and problems that can affect their operation may not be identified until it is too late. To ensure the right answer when you need it, catch up on device monitoring, commissioning, and why the self-test concept has received a bad rap.
This month, a consultant and NFPA committee chairman looks at the major items involved in a hospital’s life safety design. Like the fire risks themselves, the assorted relevant codes are evolving with regard to specifics like smoke dampers. HVAC wall penetrations, alarm zoning, and response plans are just three other aspects to consider in this demanding design environment.
Greenheck’s line of industrial dampers has expanded with the addition of Model HBS-430 and HBS-431 blast dampers designed to protect against blasts and instantaneous pressure changes.
Greenheck has expanded its Air Measuring Damper (AMD) line with the addition of the AMD-TD series of thermal dispersion-based airflow measuring dampers. The AMD-TD series combines the functionality of a highly-accurate thermal dispersion airflow station and a low-leakage control damper to control airflow volumes to a target set point.
The dizzying array of circumstances, conditional possibilities, and equipment facing today’s HVAC designer is a lot to take in at the beginning of such a critical task.
One of the primary objectives of the model building codes is to minimize the impact of fire, including reducing to the greatest extent possible the spread of fire and smoke floor-to-floor.
On the mechanical side, a life safety key is providing proper dampers and detection devices for ductwork passing through fire- or smoke-barrier partitions. But that’s just one element in good renovation design.
Today’s hospitals and specialized care facilities integrate a slew of building technologies to ensure all systems function as intended to provide state-of-the-art care for patients.