Vaughan Sound has supplied and commissioned a comprehensive voice alarm system at Haven Point, a new £16m leisure facility built at Pier Parade in South Shields.
Located on the A183 just outside South Shields town centre, work started on the seafront site in September 2010. Named Haven Point by London 2012 Paralympic and 2013 Montreal World Championship gold medallist Josef Craig in March this year, the new build leisure complex features an eight-lane 25-metre competition pool and 18-metre learner pool with adjustable floors, plus bubble pools, flumes, sprays and water play areas.
Appointed to the project by ADT Fire and Security plc of Gateshead and working alongside Hoare Lea, Vaughan Sound was asked to provide a 12-zone scheme which complies with BS 5839-8:2013 – the code of practice for the design, installation, commissioning and maintenance of voice alarm systems.
Covering the entrance/circulation space, main pool, leisure pool, teaching pool, fitness suite, dance studios/multipurpose room, ground floor changing village, healthy lifestyles area, plant/staff rooms, education block and rooftop area, Vaughan Sound specified a multi-channel system with the additional facility of general paging.
The system design concept provides the facility to manually initiate the digitally recorded alert, evacuation and test messages and broadcast them throughout the whole building. The microphone control unit allows for live broadcasting to all zones individually, selectively or simultaneously as required. Critical to the operational specification as a voice alarm system, the control unit is monitored daily by a trained employee, with the status displayed upon the DCA4 routing matrix within the equipment cubicle.
Vaughan Sound’s voice alarm system offers full fault monitoring, with system status shown on the LCD display of the routing matrix. In normal operation the date and time is shown, whilst during a fault condition or following multiple faults the display enables the client to scroll the display and review the full details. All faults are recorded in EPROM non-volatile memory and are retained, with the ability to remove and interrogate remotely.
Incorporating PERMA Series power amplifiers, an Audio Logistics DCA4 digital audio matrix and ALP 8 Paging Panel, the voice alarm system was complemented by a number of Penton RCS5/FTS round metal recessed ceiling speakers, Sentry6 vandal proof metal cabinet speakers, and Community R.25/R.5 two-way, full-range weather-resistant loudspeakers to stand up to the inherent environmental conditions.
As well as excellent swimming and water play facilities, Haven Point also boasts an amphitheatre, café, coffee lounge, 86 station gym, sauna, steam room, visitor information centre, outdoor terrace and a rooftop viewing gallery. South Tyneside’s new leisure complex will be officially opened by HRH The Duke of Cambridge on Friday 22 November. The Duke, who is patron of the English Schools Swimming Association, will meet talented local swimmers from South Tyneside Swim Club and the English Swimming Schools Association.