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The seven sanitary facilities in Fabrik No 09 are also true to style: all of them are of course exclusively equipped with Villeroy & Boch products and staged in different themed worlds © Villeroy & Boch AG

Wherever venerable buildings meet visionary ideas, things get exciting. This is particularly impressive in Villeroy & Boch's new Fabrik No09, which was completed in 2018. Where there were once storage and production rooms, today only the name is a reminder of the past. With a wide range of workplaces, the new office and conference centre breaks up classic structures: open spaces and diverse work areas promote communication and collaboration among the more than 200 employees in marketing, online, PR and product development and management. The building covers around 4,500 square metres on 3 floors, and its centrepiece is a large oak staircase in the new entrance area. Anyone climbing it is probably unaware of one thing: here, on the way from the ground floor to the first floor, there is a clever special solution that invisibly ensures safety in terms of fire protection.

Strong safety, cleverly hidden

As an expert and one of the leading suppliers of textile smoke and fire protection closures in Europe, KGG Brandschutzsysteme GmbH from Wallerstein in Swabia was involved. Managing Director Harald Glöckner: "The particular challenge of this project was to meet a wide range of requirements. On the one hand, of course, the safety requirements, but on the other hand also certain architectural ideas. The question was: how can we secure the area around the cantilevered staircase quickly and reliably in the event of a fire without the system disturbing the open overall impression in everyday use? In other words, how can we implement fire protection that cannot be seen?" One thing was clear: to ensure the necessary safety, the staircase had to be "passed through". This, too, was a challenge that involved a great deal of planning and coordination. The last two steps of the staircase, including the railing, were finally set off discreetly to make way for a horizontal fire protection curtain. In the event of a fire, it closes automatically via horizontal guide rails, supported by a spring unit and drives, which of course also have to work when there is no power.

"The architect's requirement was that everything in the rails should remain clear under normal conditions. That is precisely the advantage of our systems. They are very small and therefore easy to integrate," emphasises the KGG Managing Director. "We also rely on strong partners for our solutions who, like us, are prepared for special challenges." Such as Becker-Antriebe GmbH. As a specialist in automated drives for roller shutters, sun protection and doors, the company from Hesse has also made a name for itself in the field of fire protection and has been working closely with KGG for years. "Whenever we need support, someone at Becker is there. We appreciate that just as much as the high quality of the solutions," says Harald Glöckner.

Textile fire protection, intelligently motorised

The vertical fire protection curtains around the staircase also required a special design that combined the know-how of both companies. What was needed were smooth-running motors with gearboxes with a high transmission ratio. After all, in an emergency they must be able to turn despite high forces. A live magnetic brake built into the motor reliably holds the fire protection curtain up during normal operation. However, as soon as a connected smoke detector raises the alarm, the power supply is deactivated. To prevent the curtain from falling down in an uncontrolled manner, a mechanical centrifugal brake is also integrated into the motor. It ensures that the curtain closes at a defined speed of 0.2 metres per second. After around 20 seconds, the approximately 4 metre long fire protection curtains made of heat-resistant glass filament are fully lowered and can withstand blazing flames for at least 30 minutes.

Fortunately, the construction has so far only proven its strength during fire drills. After a drill has been successfully completed, or after routine maintenance, the curtains can easily be raised again thanks to the powerful Becker motors. "Fire protection is extremely important, because without reliable fire protection the entire building cannot go into operation. We are incredibly proud that, together with Becker, we were able to contribute to Fabrik N°09."

More information on Fabrik N°09: https://www.villeroyboch.com/fabrikn09

KGG Brandschutzsysteme GmbH

KGG Brandschutzsysteme GmbH is an innovative, fast-growing medium-sized company that has established itself as one of the leading suppliers of textile-flexible smoke and fire protection closures in Europe. The team of around 40 employees in Wallerstein, Swabia, develops customised fire protection solutions for its customers, including consulting, planning, production, assembly and maintenance.

Source (in German): http://www.elektrotechnik-news.de/2019/05/22/fabrik-n09-modernes-buerokonzept-in-der-ehemaligen-fabrik-11252/