Draka cables provide essential power to safety and property protection systems on Scottish University campus

(23/01/2009)

Dyer Associates won the competition to design the Queen Margaret University campus at Craighall in Scotland, and sustainability has been built into every aspect of design and construction on the 35-acre landscaped parkland and woodland site.

Safety at the new Queen Margaret University campus was given a major boost following the selection of Draka cable to provide essential reliable power to all of the vital life safety and property protection systems throughout the £45 million project that is now home to 4,500 students and staff. The two 0HLS® Halogen-free Draka solutions chosen for the Craighall campus – the first entire university campus to be built in Scotland for more than 30 years – were Firetuf® Power circuit integrity energy cable and Firetufplus enhanced circuit integrity cable.

Firetuf Power is a 600 / 1000V-rated SWA (Steel Wired Armoured) fire-resistant power cable designed for applications where it is essential to ensure continued operation in the event of a fire. It satisfies the requirements of BS 7846:2000 (Electric cables: 600 / 1000V armoured fire-resistant cables having thermosetting insulation and low emission of smoke and corrosive gases when affected by fire), and was developed specifically for public buildings where the consequences of a power failure due to a fire may be life or asset threatening.

Firetufplus meets the Enhanced category of BS 5839-1:2002 (Fire detection and fire alarm systems for buildings. Code of practice for system design, installation, commissioning and maintenance). Thanks to its use of high-performance materials it meets the integrated water spray and mechanical shock requirements of BS 8434-2:2003 (Methods of test for assessment of the fire integrity of electric cables). This calls for 60 minutes resistance to fire and mechanical impact, followed by 60 minutes resistance to fire, mechanical impact and water. In common with all Draka cables, both are third-party approved by LPCB [Loss Prevention Certification Board] and BASEC [British Approvals Service for Cable].

“Along with our colleagues in the project team, we naturally looked at other options, particularly for the enhanced circuit protection cable, before deciding on Firetufplus,” explained Neil Cockburn from the project’s M & E consulting engineers, K J Tait. “However, its lower termination costs, ease of handling and installation and improved signal clarity, coupled with its third-party approval made it the clear favourite.” He continued: “We were also attracted to Draka because, in one supplier, we found the total solution to our fire resistant cabling challenges.”

Carillion was the main contractor and the fire detection and alarm installation and commissioning was carried out by ADT.

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