5 Aldermanbury Square

We have supplied intelligent fire panels to 5 Aldermanbury Square, London, as part of a major refurbishment. 

Advanced’s high-performance, fault-tolerant MxPro 5 analogue addressable fire panels are providing industry-leading protection to all areas of the 22-storey building.

5 Aldermanbury Square is located in the City of London with the Eric Parry designed landmark delivering exceptional views across the London skyline. Fire safety and security specialists, Pacific Security Systems Ltd, was contracted to undertake the upgrade of the building’s current Advanced fire panel network. The existing system was an Advanced MX4000 so migrating the system over to new MxPro 5 panels was the obvious solution due to the useful backward compatibility. Since all works had to be completed overnight to ensure the system was fully operational during the day, this compatibility proved essential.

Pacific Security Systems was involved in the design, installation and commissioning of the fire system. 12 MxPro 5 intelligent fire panels were installed along with an Advanced graphics system and a two-stage staff alarm for false alarm management. Advanced’s special build service was also able to design and build a bespoke floor-standing double annunciator that sits on the network via the PENN network device and provides: zonal indication; sounder control; damper status and control; fire phone control; and sprinkler and wet riser indication. The Advanced system is linked to over 3,000 devices including access control systems, dampers, BMS and plant shutdowns. The system uses Apollo protocol and Discovery optical smoke detectors are installed throughout.

Kirk Short, Director of Pacific Security Systems Ltd, said “Advanced’s ability to provide a full package of panels, graphics and special-build service is why we have been specifying and installing their equipment for over 10 years. The MxPro 5 panels provide a powerful platform, comprehensive cause and effect functions, fast network and user-friendly controls and were the ideal solution for 5 Aldermanbury Square. Their backwards compatibility enabled us to upgrade the system overnight while maintaining essential fire protection throughout the refurbishment – no easy feat!

Matthew Jones, Head of Sales for UK and Ireland at Advanced, said: “We are delighted that Advanced’s fire panels are providing essential fire protection to the RIBA-award winning 5 Aldermanbury Square. Our MxPro 5 panels are designed to make life as easy as possible, delivering robust protection that offers real peace of mind, all backed up by our highly rated technical support.”

MxPro 5 is the fire industry’s leading multiprotocol fire panel and is certified by FM Approvals to EN 54 Parts 2 and 4. It offers customers a choice of four detector protocols and a completely open installer network, backed up by free training and support. MxPro 5 can be used in single-loop, single-panel format, or easily configured into high-speed networks of up to 200 panels covering huge areas. Ease of installation and configuration, as well as its wide range of peripheral options, make MxPro 5 customisable to almost any application.

The MxPro 5’s stand-out false alarm management capabilities are available as standard. AlarmCalm delivers unprecedented control of verification and investigation delays. By dividing sites up into virtual false alarm ‘building areas’ independent of fire zones, much more precise control of false alarm management and reduction strategies can be achieved, that exactly fit the needs of each part of a building. An optional AlarmCalm button allows trained occupants to verify if they believe a local fire signal is a false alarm too – a highly effective way of eliminating unwanted alarms.

The MxPro 5 BMS/graphics interface allows BMS systems and graphical control PCs to be easily integrated with the MxPro 5 series of fire control panels and remote terminals using a simple RS232 connection. Multiple interfaces can be connected to the network catering for sites requiring control from a number of graphical PCs.