Fire Station Malines
The fire brigade of Mechelen recently moved into a new firehouse on the Nekkerhal on a site of approx. 21,000 m². Altebra Waregem designed and installed the smoke and heat extraction system.
The new building not only houses the fire brigade, but also the execution services of the city of Mechelen. The building consists of four parts: the office building, the joint entrance for the fire brigade and execution services, the stabling area for the fire brigade vehicles and a parking building. A five-storey office building has been built for the administration of the Rivierenland rescue area. The office building meets climate ambitions and is a NEN (Nearly Energy Neutral) building. Next to the office building, a large vehicle hall for 24 large intervention vehicles will be built. For the depot, Joël Verpoucke, Sales Engineer for Altebra Waregem, developed a concept that avoids boosters and fans. He provided a natural smoke and heat extraction system instead. Together with Van Roey, Altebra Waregem defended this design to the fire brigade. The idea was warmly welcomed by both the fire brigade and the architectural firm, as it enabled the interior space to be completely free of fans.
CFD simulation confirms proposed solution
On the other side of the office building is a two-storey car park. The ground floor has been made completely frost-free for 60 large service vehicles, such as cleaning vehicles. On the first floor there are about 70 service vehicles stationed and on the second floor there is room for about 125 passenger vehicles of the employees of the city services and the fire station.
Originally the intention was to compartmentalize the car park with internal walls, but Altebra Waregem proposed to work with one large central smoke screen and 10 axial fans D1600. This concept not only saved space, but also solved some architectural difficulties. To ensure that this was the ideal solution in the event of a fire, a CFD simulation was carried out. This simulation confirmed that the chosen solution would achieve the desired result.
Within the timeframe set
The complete realization was led by Jan Lobbestael, a volunteer fireman and project leader at Altebra Waregem. He worked on this project with great passion. Together with Thijs Van de Velde, Technical Designer, and Joël Verpoucke, Sales Engineer Projects, he ensured that the timing was respected. Together with the architect, he did everything he could to request a deviation from the committee of internal affairs.