Royal Russell School

BSB Engineering Services supplied a fire safety damper package for the new Nursery and Junior School at Royal Russell School in Croydon, working with M&E subcontractor Datum Design and Build as part of the wider building services installation.

The development represents a significant investment in Royal Russell’s 110-acre campus, creating a new purpose-built learning environment for approximately 400 pupils.

Designed by Jestico + Whiles and constructed by Buxton Building Contractors, the new building provides dedicated Early Years classrooms alongside flexible teaching spaces, a science laboratory, art and design facilities, a new Junior School library and dedicated outdoor play areas.

The project has also been designed around Royal Russell School’s wider commitments to environmental sustainability and pupil wellbeing, targeting a BREEAM Excellent rating.

Client: Royal Russell School
Main Contractor: Buxton Building Contractors
Architect: Jestico + Whiles
M&E Consultant: Desco
M&E Subcontractor: Datum Design and Build
Fire Engineer: The Fire Surgery

The Challenge

Education environments require fire safety systems to be carefully coordinated with the building’s wider mechanical and electrical services while supporting straightforward testing, commissioning and ongoing maintenance.

For the new Royal Russell Junior School, the damper control system needed to provide centralised control and monitoring across 57 motorised fire dampers distributed throughout the building.

With each damper forming part of the building’s wider fire safety and ventilation strategy, the M&E team required a system that could provide clear individual damper status while allowing the installation to be efficiently commissioned and subsequently maintained.

Coordination was particularly important within a new educational building incorporating multiple teaching, communal and specialist spaces, with the fire damper installation needing to integrate effectively with the wider M&E and fire safety design.

The Solution

BSB supplied an addressable fire damper control package comprising an ACP100 Addressable Damper Control Panel, two PSU50 Power Supply Units, 57 ADM Addressable Damper Modules and 57 Motorised Fire Dampers.

The ACP Series Addressable Damper Control System provides centralised control, testing and monitoring of connected fire dampers within HVAC systems. The ACP100 is capable of managing up to 100 dampers across two data networks, providing sufficient capacity for the 57 dampers installed at Royal Russell School.

Each ADM is installed locally to its associated damper actuator, allowing individual damper status to be communicated back through the addressable network to the control panel.

This provides the M&E team with a clear method of identifying and monitoring individual dampers throughout the installation, supporting commissioning as well as future inspection and maintenance.

The two PSU50 units provide the associated power supply arrangement required by the system, creating an integrated package around the requirements of the project’s fire damper installation.

The Result

The completed BSB package provides Royal Russell School with an addressable solution for the centralised control and monitoring of its motorised fire dampers.

Bringing 57 individual dampers into a structured addressable system gives the project team greater visibility of damper status and provides a practical framework for testing, commissioning and future maintenance.

Working alongside Datum Design and Build and the wider project team, BSB’s products form part of the coordinated fire safety and ventilation strategy for a modern educational facility designed to serve generations of Royal Russell pupils.

The project demonstrates how addressable damper control can support not only life safety requirements, but also the longer-term management and maintainability of fire safety systems within educational buildings.