Using advanced technology to future-proof new and existing infrastructural developments is quickly becoming the baseline for a smart building era. With ever-strengthening capabilities in connectivity, remote monitoring and data analysis, buildings must stand up to evolving expectations of contemporary design. A ‘smart building’ has robust networks in place to amass critical operations data, creating a feedback loop to share and learn from throughout the digital building lifecycle.
As a leading provider of building technology, Siemens is working closely with facility and engineering teams around Australia to implement a people-centric approach to building management. Modern sensor equipment works in tandem with digital twin mapping to provide improved energy efficiency, use of space, comfort and safety.
This work is exemplified at the InterContinental Hotel in Sydney, where the restored 1851 Treasury Building has undergone a world-class fire protection upgrade supported by Siemens’ Cerberus PRO portfolio. To showcase this ground-breaking work and other innovations across Sydney, the company is offering five-star accommodation in this iconic building as part of the July Beyond 150 Competition.
Winners of this month’s prize will enjoy a private ride from Sydney Airport in a luxury Maserati car, three nights at the InterContinental, a Harbour Bridge climb, sail tour, and an Archie Rose Distilling Co. experience. Each of these immersive attractions underpins how Siemens technology offers the potential for smarter, more efficient infrastructure, transforming the everyday across the nation’s largest city.
Nestled in the heart of Circular Quay, the InterContinental Hotel features incredible pieces of Australia’s industrial history, including the Southern Hemisphere’s oldest working lift. While some elements of its past are carefully preserved, the building is also home to a modern Siemens fire alarm and risk management system, implemented by Siemens solution partner AlgoTech Fire Services.
The hotel’s outdated fire protection had been malfunctioning frequently, triggering false alarms due to deceptive phenomena like steam. For an upgrade to take place, it needed to incorporate the building’s existing cable network to minimise cost and disruption to guests.
The Cerberus PRO fire protection system has since been installed, complete with 600 ASA neural fire detectors throughout the site. These detectors and numerous manual call points work together to provide thorough coverage of each area, and have been successfully integrated into the building’s 20-year-old cabling system.
This highly scalable and digitalised line of solutions has been created to safeguard both people and assets, ensuring complete integrity and compliance for small sites right through to large, complex facilities. At the first sign of a legitimate hazard, the system will register detection and deploy both visual and auditory alarm signals. It can also aid in evacuating people to a place of safety by identifying smoke-free routes throughout the building. A tailored extinguishing map ensures minimal damage to valuable equipment, operating on fast reaction times at the critical moment.
The physical components are tied together with a modular management station, providing a single point of control that can accommodate specific needs or future upgrades. Complete with the ability to smoothly connect to a cloud platform, it offers zero communication delay during emergencies and higher rates of responsiveness.
Importantly, the multi-criteria detectors managed by ASAtechnology can reliably differentiate between true fire danger and nuisance triggers, ensuring a ‘No False Alarm Guarantee.’ This mitigates unnecessary disruption to the hotel environment, associated fines, and the costly diversion of resources. Through offerings such as the Cerberus PRO fire protection system, Siemens is developing smarter building management tools to increase total visibility and reduce overall risks.
To enter the this prize draw of the Beyond 150 Competition, visit the registration page before 31st July 2022.
This sponsored editorial is brought to you by Siemens. For more information, visit new.siemens.com/au.
