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Emergency lighting in Paradise
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In what is believed to be the largest emergency lighting installation in Europe with centralised monitoring and testing facilities, Ventilux has supplied emergency luminaires, central battery supplies and a central test and monitoring system, for the Paradise Project in Liverpool. The massive development by Grosvenor comprises 30 major buildings, including banks, department stores, hotels and residential accommodation, in 42 acres between Liverpool City Centre and the Albert Dock.
Ventilux is supplying landlords? emergency lighting for the majority of the site. This includes both self-contained luminaires and central battery systems. The majority of the fittings are fed by central battery supplies ranging from 8kVA to 40kVA. All the emergency luminaires incorporate a unique test and monitoring facility that is linked back to the central control room.
A key feature of the emergency lighting installation is the Ventilux Netcom 5 xp automatic test and monitoring system. This automatically carries out the daily checks and monthly, six-monthly and annual tests required for emergency lighting, logging the results and alerting the operators to any luminaires that need attention. The system is capable of monitoring up to 25,300 emergency luminaires. A monitoring device in each luminaire monitors the lamp, battery and inverter and automatically conducts the specified tests.
The system is particularly easy to use because the main control panel uses a conventional PC and Windows technology. Each luminaire has a unique address. The control panel can generate reports on the entire system or on individual luminaires. It can also list luminaires requiring attention and alert operators on case of critical faults.
Many of the emergency luminaires used in the Paradise Project are Concord Marlin units which have been adapted and re-tested by Ventilux for use with the Netcom 5 xp System. This ability to adapt emergency luminaires from other manufacturers for use with the system is a significant feature of the Ventilux offering. The luminaires are modified in Ventilux? own workshops and re-tested to ICEL, BS and International standards.
The Paradise Project also includes a number of Ventilux? own luminaires including its slim Eclipse Dualis double-sided ?Exit? signs and its elegant ?Scout? twin spot units.
Ventilux worked closely with the Infrastructure and Building Service Engineers ? WSP Group ? to produce appropriate solutions to the special needs of the project. In addition to the centralised monitoring and testing facility, WSP was looking for energy saving measures and fail-safe operation. Special switching arrangements were developed to ensure safety combined with energy-efficiency at times of low activity.
The Paradise Project is one of the most ambitious city redevelopment schemes in progress. It is a retail-led mixed-use development due for completion during Liverpool?s reign as European Capital of Culture 2008. It will include two landmark stores ? a 240,000 sq ft John Lewis and 185,000 sq ft Debenhams ? plus 160 other shops, two major hotels, a transport interchange, 634 homes and parking for 3,000 cars. Laing O?Rourke is the main contractor for the West section with Crown House engineering responsible for M&E services installation. Balfour Beatty is main contractor for the East section and Balfour Kilpatrick is M&E services contractor. The developer is Grosvenor.
The Paradise Project is the latest in a series of high-profile projects for which Ventilux has supplied emergency lighting systems. These include the Athens Concert Hall, Abbey National House in Glasgow and Vauxhall Motors in Ellesmere Port.
Ventilux has its headquarters and factory in Dun Laughaire, Southern Ireland and UK sales, distribution and luminaire conversion facilities in Knowsley, Merseyside. The company reinvests 4% of turnover in research and development and, since its formation in 1986, has grown to become one of the largest independent emergency lighting manufacturers in Europe and the leading supplier in Southern Ireland.
