No. 1 Old Trafford

DH Mechatronic UK Ltd has succeeded in implementing a complex D+H MSE solution with various functions.

The English D+H subsidiary DH Mechatronic UK Ltd has convinced the jury at the D+H Atmosphere Awards in 2022. In the category of the Special Mention "Innovation" Award, the project participation at "No. 1 Old Trafford" in Manchester was honoured. D+H UK provided a sophisticated and complex system for mechanical smoke extraction in the two blocks of the high-rise residential building.

Two stylish high-rise apartment buildings have gone up on the River Irwell at the intersection of some of the most important traffic arteries in Manchester. From nearby Manchester Piccadilly and a new tram stop, there are excellent links to the city centre as well as to the cities of Liverpool, Birmingham and London.

British D+H subsidiary DH Mechatronic UK Ltd implemented a solution for mechanical smoke extraction in this exceptional project. D+H UK supplied not only the window drives and controllers, but also the fans and smoke extraction flaps for the extraction shafts. All of the system components, including the NSHEV skylights for ventilating the stairwells, were networked with CPS-M1-MSE controllers from D+H.

The corridors on the apartment floors are more than 15 m long, which makes the use of a sprinkler system impossible. In case of fire, the safety of the residents is ensured by the use of a mechanical smoke and heat exhaust system. To expel the exhaust air from the buildings, extractor fans and an extraction shaft were also installed at each corridor end. If smoke is detected in the corridor, then the windows near the stairwell automatically open to allow a corresponding amount of fresh air to flow back into the corridors. During everyday operation in ventilation mode, all of the smoke extraction flaps and all of the windows in the corridors open automatically once the temperature reaches 23 degrees Celsius or more.