This special project in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg proves that the expression “he who can do more, can do less” most certainly applies to the extent of technical solutions offered by Promat International when it comes to fire rated smoke extraction and ventilation ducts.
The numerous possibilities we offer for fi re rated ventilation ducts according to the PROMADUCT® system, which passed offi cial fire tests, always allow us to offer a certifi ed technical solution. They also allow us to meet any hypothetical case in the construction industry, even in extreme conditions, such as for the Bâtiment Administratif de l’Etat (State Administrative Building) located on La Friche de Belval in Esch-sur-Alzette.
Real estate projects with buildings for cultural activities, institutes for general and professional education, social and health organisations, as well as accommodation for sports and leisure are transforming the city of Esch-sur-Alzette with the Belval site, which always has been the centre of the Luxembourg steel industry.
Public and private services have moved to this location, where an architectural atmosphere with a strong connection to the historical patrimonial steel industry estate has been created. The shutdown of the last operational blast-furnace in Luxembourg in 1997 and the decontamination of the 120 hectares comprising site have permitted to accommodate these new functions.
The public organisation “Le Fonds de Belval”, principal of this site (see www.fonds-belval.lu), has organised a contest for the Bâtiment Administratif, which has been carried of by the fi rm of architects Bruck & Weckerle Architekten in Luxembourg.
The building will accommodate l’Administration de l’Environnement (Public Service Environment), l’Administration de la Gestion de l’Eau (Public Service Water Control), la Commission nationale pour la Protection des Données (the National Commission for Data Protection), a lot of scientific laboratories as well as the headquarters of the Fonds de Belval. This building, next to the monumental remains of blast-furnace B, consists of two distinct units: a plinth, supporting a 60 m high tower. The global surface of the building (18,134 m²) will be divided in three parts: the plinth with the entrances and laboratories, the tower containing the administrative areas and the basement containing the car park and technical units.
But then there is another monument to discover in the basement… our PROMADUCT® ducts. With regard to the obligation to provide an efficient smoke extraction system in the entire tower by creating an overpressure through the technical shafts and staircases, it has been requisite to realise independent ducts with large internal dimensions (2,425 mm x 1,000 mm) starting from the technical units in the basement. This independent PROMADUCT® system has to convey a fl ow rate of 72,000 m³/h with an overpression of 500 to 800 Pa. Meanwhile the noise has to be kept at an ideal level at a very reasonable smoke extraction fl ow rate speed of 8.25 m/s, which then has to be spread over the different slightly reduced vertical shafts and ducts.
Thanks to a close collaboration between the contractor and our technical department, we have been able once again to prove the competitiveness of our system and the total conformity of the proposed dimensions, as well as to offer a complete and concise technical study to the company HVAC, the engineering office and the authorities.
Because of the vast size of the ducts and the difficult installation conditions, eventually aiming at reducing the number of suspensions wherever possible, adapted calculations of the suspension system had to be carried out in order to determine the right profiles and hangers and to look for special metal dowels, which are able to support higher loads in case of fire.
The contractor then had to complete our study with an adapted work scheme, considering the delicate positioning of this large duct on top of an existing wall. The expertise, the experience and the large range of technical solutions that have been brought together by both companies, have permitted to create a competitive solution tailored to the requirements of the project.
In Belgium, there are only few standard requirements with regard to smoke extraction. Therefore these systems are not frequent in administrative or public buildings such as offi ce buildings and hospitals. More and more engineering offi ces and architects firms also take this security measure into account for other projects than those for the European institutions in Brussels.
