The Choco-Story Museum in Turin, Italy, needed fire protection that visitors would never notice. Installation experts ELE.CO SRL chose Hochiki’s black ESP devices to provide discreet fire safety across this historic and culturally significant building.
With over 14 locations across the world, the Choco-Story Museum offers personalised, educational experiences on the origins of chocolate for children and adults alike. Its Turin based venue needed invisible fire protection so that guided tours ran without disruption and all occupants were comprehensively safeguarded in the event of a potential fire. ELE.CO SRL chose Hochiki’s range of black ESP devices to meet the project’s stringent requirements.
The museum is made up of multiple rooms with distinct displays. Historic machinery sits alongside cabinets of chocolate eggs, together with timelines, all designed to give visitors a smooth experience from start to finish. Tours run frequently, especially at peak holiday times and the museum also welcomes school visits. Intelligent fire detection was therefore essential for the prompt evacuation of all museum occupants in the event of a fire.
Taking all these points into account, ELE.CO SRL took full accountability for the project and decided that Hochiki met every requirement.
‘We have a long-lasting relationship with Hochiki Italia, having worked with them on several projects in various sectors, including leisure sites. Hochiki’s ESP range met all the requirements for the project, particularly the sensor’s integration with the décor, in which I specified Hochiki’s range of black products as the ideal solution to blend into the dark ceilings and the dim rooms.’ Commented Mr Erzvin Peza, owner of ELE.CO SRL.
Hochiki’s ESP range comes in white and ivory as well as the black finish specified here, which allows the fire detection system to blend unobtrusively into any application. Every environment can have comprehensive fire protection without compromising on aesthetics.
The ALN-EN, Hochiki’s addressable intelligent smoke sensor, was used throughout the museum. Its High-Performance Chamber improves the signal to noise ratio, which helps to reduce false alarms, a key requirement throughout the project. Minimising false alarms matters in applications such as museums, where they cause costly disruption and lead to complex, large-scale evacuations that can negatively impact customer satisfaction.
Hochiki’s loop-powered black base sounders were also used. Fitted below the black smoke sensors, they save space; they also cut the cabling and loop addresses required. They deliver clear audio alerts to visitors during an incident. All 51 tones are approved to EN 54-3 and the devices offer 13 volume levels, so every part of the building can be alerted at an appropriate volume in the event of a fire, even in the busiest and noisiest areas. This helps reliable alerts reach the diverse range of people who pass through the museum’s doors.
The ESP devices were complemented by a range of addressable input/output modules. The CHQ range of I/O modules enables the fire detection system to integrate with third-party equipment within the building, for example to shut fire-rated doors and to activate emergency lighting in the event of a power outage. Together, these operations streamline the fire system and provide an automatic response for a comprehensive and speedy reaction to fire, so occupants can leave the building by the quickest and safest route.
Beatrice Cagliero, Director of Choco-Story Turin, expressed her satisfaction with the result of the installation: ‘We are very satisfied with the installation at Choco-Story. The whole installation met all the requirements, especially regarding aesthetics of the building, providing complete protection. Hochiki’s products perfectly aligned with our expectations. We are sure that the entire fire system will protect the growing number of tourists visiting our museum.‘
With the distinguished expertise of ELE.CO SRL and Hochiki, the Choco-Story Museum now has bespoke fire protection that complements its aesthetics without compromising visitors’ safety: a solution that suits an intricate space full of history.
Learn more about Hochiki Europe’s ESP range.
About the Author
Dave Staddon - Publisher
Co-Founder of MDM Publishing Ltd. He has worked in fire publishing for close to 30 years. The company's portfolio includes International Fire Protection, International Fire Fighter, Asia Pacific Fire, Gulf Fire & UK Fire.
