Ventilation control panels and systems in the UK by Sandford Electrical Services including ventilation, air conditioning, fire computers and building management computer monitors suitable for industrial and commercial applications.

Client Area Case Study 1: Canary Wharf

• Canary Wharf Product Information

Sandford was contracted to provide all the ventilation control panels for one of the largest single-occupier buildings in the UK, housing up to 8,000 people on Canary Wharf. At 44 storeys high it is the UK's second tallest building. It provides more than 100,000 square metres of floor space, including three of the largest trading floors in London, executive suites, restaurants, gymnasium and underground parking. The entrance lobby rises to 28 metres in height and provides direct escalator access to three double height trading halls.

Under a clause unique to Canary Wharf, each contractor is responsible for co-ordinating with other relevant organisations working on the building. In this case the contract came to us from the duct work contractor, and proved very successful, as it gave us access to the design consultants. Consequently we were able to influence concept design of control systems at a very early stage in construction.

We had to design and manufacture control panels at strategic places on various floors. The panels had to control ventilation in all rooms, including lift motor rooms and staircases - which are positively pressurised to keep smoke out in the event of fire. There also had to be a back-up element in the event of failure. All systems were interfaced with the building's main fire dampers, which reacts differently in fire, smoke or flood situations. The sequences may change according to which floor a fire occurs on. A fire computer and building management computer monitors the status of the fans, which are a critical part of the scheme. In the mean time, air conditioning is supplied through the building via concrete shafts. In the event of a fire related event, air supply is reversed and changed into an extraction mode.

The result was a very modern and people friendly building which complies to the very latest EU regulations on health and safety. It is an energy efficient building thanks to the intelligent control systems, which monitor outputs of the air conditioning and ventilation units according to the environmental status of the building.