Deansgate Square, one of Manchester’s highest profile city centre residential developments, is using mechanical smoke control and ventilation solutions from SE Controls to protect residents by keeping corridors, stairwells and escapes routes clear of smoke, should an apartment fire occur.

Designed by Simpson Haugh architects and located on the site of a former public car park, adjacent to the River Medlock on Owen Street, the development provides more than 1500 homes across four towers, with the 67 storey ‘Tower A’ being the tallest at 200 metres high.

As the remaining towers are 53, 47 and 40 storeys, respectively, it was essential during the design process that the system was capable of being adapted to suit the differing smoke extraction requirements of each structure, while ensuring they complied with all appropriate regulations and met performance specifications. An essential part of this process was the CFD modelling of the building and smoke control system, which was undertaken by SE Controls.

Using industry standard CFD software to simulate the conditions within the building during different fire scenarios, the smoke control system’s performance was verified to Building Regulations ADB for fire engineered systems, as well as the Smoke Control Association’s guidance document on the design of apartment building escape routes.