Egyptian Mummies And Polar Bears: No Task Too Tough For Apollo
Northern Ireland's award winning Ulster Museum has been equipped
with a new Apollo-based fire detection system as part of a £17.5
million refurbishment programme. Eurotec Safety Services, who have
been representing Apollo for more than 20 years, won the contract
for the supply and commissioning of the fire system.
Ulster Museum is acknowledged as one of the UK's finest, having
won the Art Fund Prize in 2010 for the museum within the UK that
best recognises and stimulates originality and excellence. The
museum is home to a number of collections that represent Northern
Ireland's history, varying from fossils and archaeology to world
cultures and art. Two of the museum's prize pieces are Takabuti, a
seventh century BC Egyptian Mummy, and Peter the Polar Bear. Peter
shot to fame when the museum's night watchman reported hearing
unusual noises coming from the preserved and stuffed bear. The
museum also houses the most complete real dinosaur fossil on
display in Ireland in the form of the Edmontosaurus skeleton and
some of the finest examples of Celtic design from the Iron Age
period.
As part of the refurbishment, a new extension was added to the
original museum, which is a listed building. The central feature of
the new extension is a 23 metre high atrium area which houses the
giant 'Window on our World' display tower. This state-of-the-art
attraction rises up through the museum's four levels and houses the
most iconic objects from across the museum's diverse collections.
As well as containing many exhibits that are of high financial and
sentimental value, the recently refurbished museum also boasts
three new learning zones, 33 galleries and exhibition spaces and a
restaurant.
There were a number of factors that had to be taken into account
when designing the fire detection system. Given the diverse nature
of the facilities, the client required a fire system that was
reliable in a range of different environments. In addition there
was a need to be able to protect a large number of visitors of all
ages, many of whom would not know the building layout or fire
evacuation drill. As well as being able to protect a large number
of people in a challenging environment, a reliable voice controlled
evacuation system was necessary in order to communicate with those
who are unable to understand the traditional alarms, whether due to
a disability or because of language barriers.
Approximately 500 Apollo analogue addressable XP95 detectors
were specified to meet the main fire protection requirements, with
the system based around a Kidde Vega panel that controls 24 zones.
The specification required a large number of interfaces to be
incorporated into the system, for example to control the display
lighting, audio and visual display features and the museum lifts in
the event of an emergency.
Geoff Dougan, of Eurotec Safety Services, said:
"Apollo's XP95 range gave us the product choice and flexibility
to meet the specifications of this application. It is well proven
in the field and the reliability of Apollo systems is one of the
main reasons why we have been using their products for more than 20
years."
Within a year of re-opening following the refurbishment, Ulster
Museum had welcomed 500,000 visitors, making it Northern Ireland's
busiest visitor attraction.
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