The Brand New Belfast Ikea Installs Disabled Refuge System throughout the Store
08 July 2008
A disabled refuge system by SigNETs has been installed at Irelands first-ever IKEA store in Belfast.
The newly installed IKEA refuge system is a networked system, known as SigTEL, which has two master controllers. It is now in full operation at the massive flagship store which stocks the full 9,500 items of the IKEA range. This impressive 29,000 sq metre two-storey Holywood Exchange Building covers the equivalent of five and a half football fields and features a first-floor showroom where customers can view over 55 fully furnished room and home layouts.
Colin Simms of Ashdale Engineering, the company which installed the systems for IKEA Belfast says;
The pressure was on to get the life safety systems up and running in time for the much-anticipated opening. Installing a disabled refuge system in a building which spans such a huge area is a real challenge and we were very conscious that everything had to be in place for the grand opening.
Demand for refuge systems has never been higher since the regulation was introduced. Demand is also being fuelled by the implementation of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order. The Government has issued a supplement to the 12 existing guides entitled "Means of Escape for Disabled People" in conjunction with Disability Rights Commission (DRC) which details the requirement for emergency voice communication systems.
SigNETs new SigTEL system can be used in all types of EVC application, be it a disabled refuge, fire telephone or stadium marshalling system. Not only is the system incredibly easy to use, it is hugely cost-effective in comparison to others on the market and is ideal for hotels, leisure centres, theatres, cinemas, galleries, shopping centres and any other non-domestic building with more than one storey.
A SigNET Integrity multi-zonal PA/VA system consisting of two 42 unit racks supporting over 500 speakers has also been installed at the site.
