Fire Engineering Brochure [Elementa Consulting]

Fire Engineering

PRACTICAL, INNOVATIVE & SAFE DESIGN SOLUTIONS

Contents Introducing Elementa Consulting

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Expert Advice and Insight

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What is Fire Engineering?

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Experience 10

Left: Fire Escape Stairs © Kaboom Pictures

One Aldwych Hotel

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Aurora Apartments

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Sector Leadership

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The Elementa Way

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Introducing Elementa Consulting

The world’s leading deep green engineering and consulting firm

Elementa Consulting are the UK member of Integral Group, an international network of engineers + consultants collaborating under a single “deep green” umbrella.

We enable every client to protect the health of our planet, by taking a regenerative approach to the design, performance and function of buildings, communities, districts and cities.

We provide a full range of building and district systems engineering, analysis and sustainability consulting services, delivered by staff widely regarded as innovative leaders in their fields.

Our work spans the globe, delivered from offices in Australia, Canada, Europe and the United States.

Kevin Hydes Integral Group was launched in 2008 by Kevin Hydes, founder and former director of Canada Green Building Council, and former Chair of the USGBC and World GBC. Kevin served as Chief Executive Officer for the first 12 years of Integral Group and in 2020 he became the firm’s first Chairman.

Fire Engineering

Our projects are located in over 30 countries - more than 100 are net zero energy buildings.

Integral Group are proud to be founding signatories of the World Green Building Council’s Net Zero Carbon Buildings Commitment.

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Expert Advice and Insight Our Fire Engineers assist architects, building owners and developers to identify and mitigate the design risks of their project in the event of a fire.

For many modern buildings fire engineering is the most appropriate and costeffective way to achieve satisfactory safety standards.

Elemnta’s global team balance specialist local knowledge with best-in-class solutions from around the world.

Client-focused, Elementa’s solutions match our clients’ objectives, always ensuring practical and safe design options.

Collaboration

Integration

Elementa are diverse, ready, willing and able - united by a shared commitment to projects with a positive impact.

Our fire engineering team is supported by the full building services discipline range.

The meeting of many minds makes for the best ideas

This allows our fire engineers to effectively coordinate and At Elementa we strongly collaborate with colleagues believe in being the proactive in other disciplines, such as driver, assisting the design fire protection engineers. team through a performance- The end result is a holistic based approach. This means viewpoint on building design we like to get involved, as with the most efficient and early in the design process as innovative performance possible! design solutions.

We know that collaboration with the project team throughout the design process achieves the best project outcomes.

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Connected to a deep green engineering network

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Analysis

Delivering practical, integrated and safe design solutions From heritage-listed buildings to brand new high-rise towers, our fire engineers have the capability to undertake fire engineering design for new and existing buildings. This includes comprehensive analysis using advanced software for fire and smoke flow modelling and occupant evacuation modelling.

Our specialists possess expertise in testing, fire and smoke modelling, egress modelling, risk assessment and behaviour of structural elements in fire conditions.

Safety

Innovation

In modern building designs, atriums are becoming wider, buildings taller and occupant populations increasing.

Every project presents a new challenge for our fire engineering team. The earlier they are engaged in a project, the more impact their design solutions can have on the project and the overall safety for occupants.

Designing functional and safe strategies for all types of buildings

Our engineers provide key design advice and strategies for unique building features creating safer buildings for today and the future.

Elementa’s solutions take into consideration the end user and the path of least resistance out of the building in the case of a fire.

Finding the best design solutions for unique building features

Elementa’s innovative design solutions include: Use of lifts for evacuation of ultra high-rise buildings Dynamic exit signage Egress design during peak occupancy periods Design strategies for specialist buildings

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What is Fire Engineering?

How do we resolve the tension between restrictive building codes, regulations and architectural and sustainable design?

As a well-respected leader in Fire Engineering, Elementa use science, engineering, and an experienced network of fire safety engineers to facilitate freedom in design, balancing function, aesthetics, and sustainability, while maintaining building fire safety to community expectations.

The necessity of sustainable buildings brings with it a complex challenge in designing building fire safety strategies. Such strategies can resolve large atriums, progressive architectural design features, and preserve the integrity of renewable building materials. Fire safety engineers assist in making design and project goals a reality.

Our engineers are respected in the industry as thought leaders. They are at the forefront of research and work with the policy departments and professional bodies to influence future building codes and regulations helping make safer, healthier, and more sustainable buildings.

Areas of Expertise • Alternative fire-engineering performance-based design • Qualitative and quantitative fire risk assessments • Computational fluid dynamics (CFD) fire modelling • Smoke flow analysis • Heat transfer analysis • Occupant evacuation simulation • Structural behaviour analysis • Investigation of fire safety issues • Fire safety audits and risk assessments • Development of fire safety strategy and management plans • Collaborative research related to fire safety Right: Atrium and stair designs at Deakin University Learning Commons required fire safety strategy plans © Greg Long Top Right: Occupant evacuation simulations performed on a shopping centre floorplan in peak period Bottom Right: Protected lift lobby for using lifts to evacuate in the event of fire

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Experience

Artemis Centre, Melbourne Girls Grammar School

Brierley Hill Health & Social Care Centre

Nissan Headquarters

Deakin University Learning Commons

Ikon Park Stad

dium

171 Collins Street, Melbourne, Australia

South East Water Headquarters

Melbourne Veterinary School, Learning and Teaching Building

Shepparton Art Museum (SAM)

One Aldwych Hotel “The building stands as an island, three-sided, a little unusual, not joined to any other buildings, a true independent landmark in London. Not only is the building dynamic, but so is Covent Garden, our home, it’s changing all the time - and One Aldwych needs to reflect that: this is a natural evolution” Simon Hirst, Managing Director One Aldwych Elementa have recently provided an asset survey and condition report on the grade two listed One Aldwych Hotel in Central London.

The 5-star hotel, based in the affluent Covent Garden area, aims to update and modernise their existing services in the near future, employing Elementa to undertake an asset survey and condition report in order to investigate what works and provisions will be possible for a future hotel refurbishment.

There were only specific areas of the building that were being modified, namely some of the bedrooms and the entrance lobby.

By applying a fire engineered solution we were able to assist the hotel in providing a much more appealing entrance to the hotel, which is more open than the previous design. The hotel bedrooms also need the application of BS9999 to allow for extending of the travel distances.

A retrospective fire strategy was also produced, which had to then incorporate the specific areas that were modified (as discussed above).

Finally, inspections to provide a third party review of the fire stopping works will be undertaken on site as part of the new systems that are being installed.

London, United Kingdom Client: One Aldwych Architect: Jestico + Whiles Construction Value: £2.5M MEP Value Completed: 2019 Area: 2,000 SQM (GIA) Right: Old Aldwych Hotel

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Aurora Apartments Aurora Apartments utilises a unique lift evacuation system, allowing the upper floors to evacuate rapidly and safely At 86 stories high, Aurora Apartments is one of the tallest towers in Melbourne’s Core Business District. Integral Group provided the fire engineering services for the residential and mixed-use development and its connection pathway to the neighbouring food and retail precinct at Melbourne Central Station.

Incorporating the use of lifts for evacuation was an important part of the complex fire engineering strategy to ensure upper floor residents can evacuate rapidly and safely. The lift evacuation system

was developed in conjunction with a holistic building-wide egress strategy. This also incorporated refuge areas, pressurised lift lobbies, and fire separated split scissor stair arrangement that managed egress redundancy.

A staged hand-over of this project allowed lower floors to be occupied while the building was in construction. The fire engineering team developed interim strategies to mitigate the fire safety risk over the lengthy construction period.

Right: An image of the Aurora Apartments, Melbourne Central Business Districts tallest tower. © Render courtesy of Aurora Apartments Top Right: A render of the Aurora Apartments living area. © Render courtesy of Aurora Apartments Bottom Right: An image of the lift being used for evacuation sign. © Andrew Thompson

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Melbourne, VIC Australia Client: UEM Sunrise Architect: Ellenberg Fraser Completion: 2020 Services Provided: Fire Engineering 14

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150 Holborn Central London, United Kingdom

We provided the client with options of improving the strategy to either provide more flexibility on the use of the space or to reduce the construction costs.

150 Holborn is a new build commercial development, the majority of which is office space as well as a small number of retail and residential units.

Integral Group was brought in as a third-party reviewer of the fire strategy for this development with a key focus on the office building. Whilst the main aim of the review was to ensure that the proposed fire strategy was suitable, providing the client with options for improving the strategy to provide more flexibility on the use of the space or to reduce the construction costs were also high on the agenda.

Specific items that were highlighted was the reduction of the fire resistance to the elements of structure and allowing the scenic lifts in the atrium not to be fire rated. Furthermore, advice was provided to the operation and compartmentation of the retail units to reduce the security risks and provide more flexibility of the usage of these units.

Other items included a detailed fire alarm cause and effect strategy and the design of the smoke ventilation systems so that the design team had more clarity on the equipment that would be provided in the building and how it would operate.

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Climate Zone: Koppen Cfa, ASHRAE 4B Client: Dar Group Architect: Pringle Brandon Perkins + Will Project Size: 176,000ft² Construction Value: £70M Completion: 2021 Sustainability: BREEAM Outstanding (design stage) LEED Platinum (design stage_ WiredScore Services Provided: Mechanical Electrical Public Health Energy Modelling Environmental Design Feature Lighting Design

Old Quadrangle Redevelopment

The historic north and east wings areas have largely and carefully been returned to their original design. With the addition of flexible spaces, the University’s vision of a welcoming and vibrant campus community has been achieved.

Due to complexity associated with the heritage nature, a bespoke fire safety strategy was developed to ensure occupant safety whilst providing significant property protection to the historic building.

Incorporating an automatic fire suppression system, smoke detection and a range of fire and smoke separation construction methodologies, the building achieved the envisioned mix of historic and modern architectural design, with the fire safety of a modern building.

Location Melbourne, VIC Australia



This extensive two-year project has brought back to life, the Old Quadrangle at The University of Melbourne. The oldest building on campus has been restored to be the central focus space and the University of Melbourne’s key cultural, civic, engagement and ceremonial heart.

Client: University of Melbourne Architect: Lovell Chen Construction Value: $21.4M Completion: 2019 Key Features: Victorian Heritage Registered Services Provided: Electrical Building Services Mechanical Building Services Hydraulic Building Services Fire Engineering ICT Sustainability

Goulburn Valley Health This $240 million project comprises primarily of the development for a five-storey IPU tower that contains a significant portion of bed-based areas in the hospital.

In addition, the redevelopment upgraded a significant portion of the existing hospital, including paediatrics, theatres, emergency department, maternity, and dialysis.

The fire safety challenges were resolved by developing a sound understanding of the existing infrastructure and carefully integrating the new developments with the hospital site. Through this approach, a balance of efficient design and fire safety performance was achieved.

Location Shepparton, VIC, Australia Client: Golburn Valley Health Construction Value: $240M Services Provided: Fire Engineering

University of Guelph Honey Bee Research Center This project involved the refurbishment of the existing heritage-listed post office as a major retail precinct, as well as the construction of a new six-level extension. The reinstatement of the heritage-listed Postal Hall, which was extensively damaged by fire, involved the reconstruction of an original four-storey postal atrium and ornate ceilings.

The design aimed to develop practical and cost-effective fire engineering solutions that were in line with Building Code of Australia’s Standards and Heritage Council guidelines, while still maintaining a high level of fire safety, taking advantage of the architectural features and various existing fire safety systems in the building.

Analysis undertaken with a 3-D computational fluid dynamics program showed that through all the fire scenarios, the building remains tenable without threatening the lives of the occupants and fire brigade or affecting the structure.

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Location Melbourne, VIC Australia Client: MOGPO Pty Ltd Architect: Williams Boag Pty Ltd Architects Construction Value: $95M Services Provided: Fire Engineering

Sector Leadership Our team can help you to realise a performancebased design approach to building solutions

Our experienced team of Fire Engineers from across the globe are committed to delivering practical, integrated, and safe design solutions.

Our designs are geared for performance, using ingenuity and innovation to develop design solutions which not only comply with, but improve on the minimum standards. By applying strategic thinking and accelerating adoption of new strategies, we get best-in-class results. Our team look at each building on its merit and develop a plan to suit. In some cases, this may be to present justification for exceeding minimum standards. In other instances, achieving an equivalent level of safety in a more cost-effective way.

Above all things, our fire engineering leadership team believe that success is achieved by strong teams whose relationships are based on trust. To give our staff the skills they need to be effective team players, we train for technical excellence, management, communication and most importantly how to listen well.

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Principal Michel is a highly experienced and technically advanced fire engineer, he coordinates the UK fire engineering team. He is able to effectively and efficiently co-ordinate between project teams and stakeholders in order to understand both aspirations and practical requirements of projects.

When working on specific projects, Michel’s role is to envisage and prepare fire engineering solutions (including CFD, evacuation strategies and fire protection solutions) and to provide advice on fire safety arrangements in buildings. He is responsible for all stages of the fire engineering design from the initial client contact, through the tendering phase and through construction to completion.

Silvia Misuraca Associate Principal Silvia has over 25 years’ experience in fire engineering, risk assessment and fire protection across all building sectors. She has been the project leader on numerous developments, successfully managing the project from concept design through to construction phase.

She is highly respected in the industry for her high standard of delivery of fire services for moderate to large-scale projects. Silvia is the National Head of Fire Engineering in Australia and also plays a pivotal role in mentoring our up and coming fire engineers.

She ensures all works are carried out in accordance with applicable codes and standards, managing assigned work to meet project needs and proactively works with the client, stakeholders and other team members to ensure that project goals are met.

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Michel Wizenberg

The Elementa Way Mission: To be the top quality Deep Green engineering and consulting firm with global reach.

Trust The basis of every successful relationship, team and collaboration

Nurture We never stop learning or growing

Inspire We share our passion and expertise widely

Imagine We bring creativity and curiosity to solve complex problems

Perform Our work is target-driven, outcome-led, and evidence based

Accelerate Time is short - we need to urgently scale up

Sustain We grow and thrive so that we can have more impact

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