Mechanical Smoke Venting for Kew Bridge

Kane Group appointed FDS to design, supply, install, and commission a mechanical smoke venting (smoke management system) incorporating a corridor environmental system within the residential corridors and an environmental ventilation system utilising thrust ventilation within the car park on Kew Development Phase 2 Capital Towers. The £24 million development is situated near Brentford FC’s new stadium and consists of 530 apartments across two phases.

The smoke management system will be used for means of escape and fire-fighting operations to satisfy the requirements of the Building Regulations. In accordance with the fire strategy, a mechanical smoke extract system was required for Residential Blocks I, J, and K. A mechanical smoke venting system from FDS is powered by fans that remove smoke from a building’s common corridor to provide a means of escape for occupants and fire-fighting access in the event of a fire.

The mechanical smoke ventilation system (MSVS) provided to the corridors is in accordance with BS9991:2015 and satisfies the recommendations given in Smoke Control Association “Guidance on Smoke Control to Common Escape Routes in Apartment Buildings.

The MSVS utilised 0.6m2 mechanical extract shafts and featured both smoke and environmental fans fitted on the roof. A louvered damper and grille were fitted at each level with a 1.5m2 louvered ventilator at the head of the stair.

The car park smoke ventilation system had sufficient natural ventilation to satisfy the requirements of Approved Document B and therefore a series of induction fans were included to satisfy the requirements of Approved Document F only i.e., for C0 clearance only.

FDS Consult verified the proposed residential and car park systems using Computational Fluid Dynamics Modelling techniques. CFD Modelling allowed FDS to create a virtual replica of the buildings and map the spread of fire and smoke to demonstrate how our fire strategy would work in practice.

Work on Kew Development Phase 2 Capital Towers commenced in January 2021 and was handed over in December 2022.