Complex Fire Detection Technology at the Chedi Andermatt Luxury Hotel

The five-star deluxe Chedi Andermatt hotel has enjoyed increasing popularity since its grand opening in December 2013 and received the ‚Gault Millau Hotel of the Year‘ award in 2017. In addition to attention to detail throughout the hotel, great attention has also been paid to protecting the luxury resort against fire hazards.

The unusual interplay of Alpine chic and Asian expression that distinguishes this hotel from others was conceived by architect Jean-Michel Gathy and bears his signature. Located in the heart of the Swiss Alps over fourteen hundred meters above sea level, the many guest rooms and suites as well as four restaurants and bars and a health club required a well-thought-out fire protection concept. The building technology company Alpiq Energy Services Switzerland took on the implementation of this complex task. Their long-standing partner company Novar has extensive expertise in this field and products from the traditional Esser brand were chosen for this project.

Many Variants
A large variety of fire detectors were installed in the first stage of development due to the varying requirements and environmental parameters found in the hotel, including multi-sensor detectors and multifunctional fire detectors with integrated alarms. Almost 2,500 peripheral elements are spread across 39 rings that are connected to six servers. O²T detectors were used in the underground garages area that apply the principle of scattered light with two different measuring angles. They provide two key advantages; firstly they increase the detection of smoke significantly, and secondly they reduce the false alarm rate to a great extent as they can reliably distinguish fire smoke from other types of smoke. Through the differentiated observation and evaluation of different smoke particles, this type of detector recognizes disturbances such as water vapor, which can occur in hotel rooms during long showers or in underground garages from exhaust emissions. In order to disturb the ambiance as little as possible, the entire ground floor is also monitored comprehensively with a total of 35 aspirating smoke systems.

Against the background of reliable fire protection measures to protect against far-reaching consequential damage as well as the increasing internationalization of guests and adaptation to higher international security standards, the demands placed on modern alarm systems have become increasingly complex. The multifunctional IQ8Quad detector addresses this by combining detection with the optical function of a flashing light, the acoustic alert of a warning sounder and a multilingual voice alarm device, all in a single housing. The additional option of wireless operation of the detector considerably simplifies subsequent integration into an existing installation.

Clearly Stated
In an emergency situation, people seldom respond to abstract alarms or purely visual signals, but react quickly and correctly to clear voice prompts. With the IQ8Quad, targeted evacuation can start at the same time as the alert. The ability to make announcements per detector in five different languages, in turn, allows international visitors to a building – such as in international hotels – to be reliably alerted and led out of the danger zone.
“In our hotel, we don’t just attach great importance to our exclusive ambiance and exceptional design. The safety technology also has to meet the highest requirements in order to have a good feeling at all times,“ says Christian Simmen, Director of Engineering at The Chedi Andermatt. Michele Waldeck, Head of Security at Alpiq, which is responsible for the installation, adds, “It is a reassuring feeling to be able to sit back and relax after the complete system has been commissioned, knowing that the complex technology will run smoothly and guarantee the safety of employees and hotel guests in the event of an incident.