One of London’s best-preserved Victorian theatres, the Harold Pinter on Panton Street in Westminster, has received a fire system upgrade which uses the latest wireless technology.
Known as the Comedy Theatre until 2011, the Pinter was built in 1881 to designed by Thomas Verity and, despite changes elsewhere in the building, its 796-seater three-level horseshoe auditorium is remarkably well-preserved.
The building was listed by English Heritage in 1972 and is firmly established as one of the most atmospheric, if not the grandest, of London’s West End theatres.
“Balancing the preservation of a listed building with the challenges of installing a modern fire system has always been a balancing act, although wireless fire devices have been a major gamechanger,” says Sam Robinson, Project Manager at system installer and integrator Barlows (UK) Ltd. “Working with the theatre management and Apollo, we specified and installed a system with 110 wireless devices manufactured by Apollo Fire which we connected to four hubs.
“The company's 'REACH' range comes with a bespoke survey kit, so it is simple to design a system that covers all key areas within the building, and the 100 metre range makes it possible to cover the entire space with a small number of hubs.
We had previously used the old Xpander range, which was excellent, but REACH takes wireless fire tech to the next level.”
The Harold Pinter Theatre is exactly the sort of building where wireless fire technology comes into its own. It is simpler and quicker to install, and the amount of cabling required is reduced by up to 90 per cent which means less impact on the fabric of the building
The solution is designed to solve challenging installation scenarios for structures with restricted or complex access and installation conditions – such as listed buildings, outbuildings and temporary structures – where wired installation or long site downtime is not possible.
With battery life of up to five years, enhanced RF communications capability, compact casings and a full range of wireless devices, the platform can work as a standalone wireless system or as part of a hybrid network, with wires and wireless devices.
Craig Mole, product manager at Apollo Fire, says: “The Harold Pinter Theatre is exactly the sort of building where wireless fire technology comes into its own.
It is simpler and quicker to install, and the amount of cabling required is reduced by up to 90 per cent which means less impact on the fabric of the building, reduced necessity to seek permission for the works, and less need to ‘make good’ once the installation is complete.
It also has advantages in a working building like a theatre, where any closure is going to result in lost income.”
