Active fire protection from WAGNER has been protecting the British Library's Newspaper Storage Building in London since 2014. This was installed after the Additional Storage Program was equipped with a fire protection solution from a fire protection expert six years earlier. In 2018, the oxygen reduction system in the Additional Storage Program was upgraded.
Whether it's the Magna Carta, da Vinci's notebooks or the Gutenberg Bible, most of the works held by the British Library are unique and hundreds of years old. Their destruction would leave a cultural void that could not be filled. Following the British Library's positive experience with the OxyReduct® oxygen reduction system in the Additional Storage Program Building, the same solution was chosen for the Newspaper Storage Building in 2014.
In order to meet the ever-increasing space requirements, the British Library's Document Storage Centre was renovated in 2014 to include the Newspaper Storage Building (NSB), following the expansion of the Additional Storage Program (ASP) opened in 2008. Again, the operator chose WAGNER's integrated fire protection solution.
The membrane oxygen reduction system installed in the ASP building in 2008 was replaced with a new OxyReduct® P-Line in 2018. The cost of maintenance, operation and general overhaul of the old membrane system would have been higher than allowed by UK regulations for public buildings. As a result, the operator optimized the cost of ownership for fire protection in the Additional Storage Program building.
RISK ANALYSIS
The fire risk in the British Library is particularly high because of the fire load: the collections are largely paper and would burn quickly. The high shelves, with their tight spaces, provide ideal conditions for the rapid spread of fire. Even small amounts of soot and smoke, as well as low levels of heat, can damage or even destroy documents. Water is not an option in the British Library due to the nature of the materials and the irreplaceable nature of the items.
PROTECTION GOALS
SOLUTION
The solution for the British Library's fire protection requirements is an OxyReduct® oxygen reduction system for active fire protection. OxyReduct® V-Line systems have been installed in the stacks of the newspaper storage building. They reduce oxygen levels by controlled injection of nitrogen extracted from the ambient air using Vacuum Pressure Swing Adsorption (VPSA) technology. This reduces the oxygen level in the protected area to a defined protection level. A potential fire is deprived of oxygen as soon as it starts, preventing it from developing or spreading.
The OxyReduct® oxygen reduction system was combined with early fire detection using TITANUS PRO·SENS ® aspirating smoke detectors to create a holistic protection package for the British Library. The aspirating points are suspended above the chimneys and continuously sample the ambient air. They are highly sensitive and detect even the finest smoke particles, allowing countermeasures to be taken in good time.
The VisuLAN ® hazard management system collects the messages from the fire protection systems so that targeted measures can be initiated in the event of an emergency.
A look inside the British Library's Newspaper Storage Building in London
CUSTOMER BENEFITS
VdS-approved and certified fire protection solution for reliable protection of historic buildings, earliest possible fire detection.
Flexible planning: The fire protection solution can be flexibly adapted to new conditions in the event of expansion.
Allows authorized personnel to have constant access to the protected area.
Low cost of ownership - high energy efficiency in operation.
CUSTOMER VOICE
“OxyReduct ® with VPSA technology is not only effective in terms of safety, but also in terms of low operating costs.”
Fire protection from WAGNER preserves values and protects people and cultural assets. We will be happy to advise you personally.
