The Westin Grand Frankfurt
5-star safety at the hotel "The Westin Grand Frankfurt"
To increase safety in the event of a fire, the hotel The Westin Grand Frankfurt relies on the retrofit smoke control system from "System Schröders" from Erkelenz. The hotel "The Westin Grand Frankfurt" is located in the centre of the Main metropolis.
With its twelve conference rooms and 371 rooms and suites, the hotel offers ideal conditions for business meetings, conferences, and festive banquets.
Following positive experiences at the Arabella Sheraton in Munich, the hotel chain decided to equip its Frankfurt property, "The Westin Grand Frankfurt", with retrofit smoke control systems from "System Schröders" for the existing fire protection closures.
Combustion gases – the silent danger
In the event of a fire, combustion gases pose the greatest danger both for hotel guests and for rescue teams due to the considerable concentrations of toxic gases. If the smoke can spread unhindered, the building fills with smoke within minutes.
Experts therefore see a priority need for action in preventive fire protection measures when it comes to retrofitting existing fire resistance doors with smoke control systems.
Retrofitting instead of conversion
Older generations of fire resistance doors that no longer complied with the currently applicable requirements for smoke control previously had to be laboriously replaced by installing new closures.
For the first time, "System Schröders" offers a retrofit smoke control system tested according to DIN 18095 and registered for patent for the retrofitting of existing doors. The all-round retrofit seals from "System Schröders" were subjected to comprehensive smoke and durability tests by MPA NRW (Materials Testing Institute North Rhine-Westphalia) on old doors of different designs. The result: All doors equipped with the system met the requirements of DIN 10995. The test certificates and expert reports of MPA NRW confirm that the retrofitted doors technically fulfil the requirements of DIN 18095.
If a proof of usability according to the Building Regulations List is required for smoke control closures, an individual approval from the supreme building supervisory authority must be applied for, as a national test certificate cannot exist for a retrofit system. "System Schröders" has extensive experience in applying for individual approvals.
Functionality meets aesthetics
With its light-flooded atrium and its exceptionally high-quality internal, the Westin Grand Hotel in Frankfurt is one of the architectural highlights among Germany's top hotels.
In order not to destroy this architectural aesthetic, the seamless integration of the new retrofit system into the existing architecture was an important prerequisite. In addition, hotel operations were to be disturbed as little as possible by the necessary installation work.
The subsequent installation in the Westin Grand Hotel affected both single- and double-leaf steel doors as well as wooden doors. This proved the versatility of the retrofit smoke control system from "System Schröders", which is suitable for many door types.
Used were lowerable floor seals of the type "Planet FT", centre rebate seals "MK-AL 1" and "SD 2" as well as frame seals of the types "SRS-1" and "SD-1".
In this way, the system falls below the maximum leakage rates required by DIN 18095 of 20 cubic metres per hour for single-leaf and 30 cubic metres for double-leaf doors, with temperature exposures of up to 200 degrees Celsius.