Art Museum Upgrades Fire Detection System

Building Operating Management, Mar 2005

Located in the heart of Detroit's Cultural Center, the Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA) is recognized as one of the country's premier art museums. In 2001, the museum began a comprehensive renovation and expansion project that included a 35,000-square-foot addition, additional space for galleries, dining and a museum shop, and updates to the infrastructure.

The renovations also provided the opportunity to upgrade the fire detection system. Both the original building and the new three-story expansion were tied into a Siemens XLS Fire Finder system.

The original building included a mixed bag of fire detection devices, including a rate-of-rise heat detection system. System 3 smoke detectors and various sprinkler systems. In all, the DIA has more than 500 initiating points for smoke detectors, heat detectors, pull stations, duct detectors, water-flow detectors, addressable modules and more. All the addressable devices are now monitored and controlled by a single XLS panel located in the facility's central security station. Some remaining System 3 panels are also located there. The addressable systems are also connected to three remote panels, in the North wing, the South wing and the basement of the original building.

Control panels for the DIA detectors were upgraded with new technology over the years. The initial zoned System 3 was upgraded to Siemens' MXL, a microprocessor-controlled fully addressable systems.

The networked detectors are Siemens' FirePrint intelligent fire detectors, which employ software algorithms and a neural network to sense both smoke and heat.

Upgrades from System 3 to XLS are continuing and master-plan upgrading will continue into the fall of 2007. FREE INFO: Circle 235