Entertainment establishments, such as shopping malls and multiplexes, are popular attractions due to their ability to provide a full range of facilities all in one space. However, these multipurpose destinations do require more complex life-safety systems, meaning additional considerations for specifiers, installers and end users. Hochiki recently provided a solution to these challenges when called upon to provide high-end life safety protection at the Firestone Entertainment Hub in Jamnagar.
Combining a multiplex indoor and outdoor cinema, gaming facilities including a go-karting track, five-star restaurants, a hotel and a luxury shopping complex all under one roof, the Firestone Entertainment Hub in Jamnagar, India, has something for everyone. Owners of the site recently looked to improve their fire-safety provision and brought in Cavitak Marketing Pvt Ltd to lead on the installation and specification of a brand-new system.
Parth Shah, Manager of Emerging Lead Technologies at Cavitak, said: ‘Being such a large space that incorporates so many different environments, we needed the reliability and standards that come with Japanese engineering and so we looked to Hochiki for their expertise. After meeting with the Hochiki Europe India Branch Office team and discussing the site’s unique requirements, they recommended the L@titude system.’
Hochiki’s L@titude1 control and indication system combines the latest hardware and software into an easy-to-use platform, providing a reliable and robust life-safety solution for some of the most challenging applications, such as the Firestone Entertainment Hub. The system’s extensive networking capabilities and easy accessibility helped navigate this complex environment with multiple requirements.
The power of connectivity
There are many difficulties that come with specifying life-safety systems in large applications, the most prominent being networking, as it is essential that all areas are sufficiently protected and connected. However, the Entertainment Hub encountered more challenges than most as the facility has multiple tenants within one space, all with different requirements and life-safety concerns.
Overseeing the project, Sujeet Singh, Senior Sales Manager at Hochiki, said: ‘Due to the sheer scale of this project, we met with the representatives from each tenant including the hotel, cinema and various restaurants, to better understand their life-safety needs. From these detailed conversations we were able to correctly specify individual solutions to help protect each area of the hub.
‘For instance, the PVR Cinema required the use of beam smoke detection, whereas the Fern Hotel was better suited to point detection in each bedroom. The entire system was then connected, controlled and monitored through the L@titude system.’
Applying such a holistic approach, Hochiki was able to install various life-safety systems, totalling over 700 devices throughout the entire space, all connected through the innovative L@titude control and indication system.
The modular nature of L@titude is especially suited for larger settings like the Firestone Entertainment Hub as it can network up to 32 panels with over 4,000 sub address points per panel. It’s also possible to customise each panel with addressable loop detection circuits, conventional detection circuits, relay cards, additional sounder outputs or programmable I/O modules as needed. Such flexibility was a big advantage on the recent installation, allowing the individual circuits from each tenant to be connected and controlled through one overarching platform.
Heightened performance
Reduced system visibility can be an unfortunate consequence of operating larger facilities. However, L@titude directly targets these common issues with its visual capabilities – starting with 7in display panel. Large enough to provide a clear yet detailed user interface, containing a concise description of each detection device location and status, duty holders and facility managers are able to obtain a detailed overview of the entire system at a glance. If an incident should occur, having the power to add up to 64 individual users, all with different profiles and access permissions, widens the pool of people who can correctly analyse and react to a potential life-safety event, ensuring a quick response.
The larger the system, the more complex and detailed its monitoring becomes. L@titude simplifies this with the network-wide ability to input cause and effect entries, supporting up to 5,000 entries at once with up to 20,000 inputs and 20,000 outputs. The entries can then be compartmentalised into groups, meaning users are able to simplify the system’s configuration.
Parth Shah concluded: ‘We’re extremely happy with the numerous benefits of the L@titude system and feel assured knowing the stringent life-safety protection that it will provide to the Entertainment Hub’s visitors. We have left the facilities managers feeling confident in running and monitoring such a comprehensive life-safety system, all thanks to L@titude’s advanced technologies and ease of maintenance.’
The Entertainment Hub continues to entertain the masses within a safe and reliable environment.
For more information, go to www.hochikieurope.com
References
1. https://www.hochikieurope.com/product/ltitude?utm_source=tangc&utm_medium=casestudy&utm_campaign=jcr
