Sydney Opera House is a masterpiece of late modern architecture that’s admired internationally and proudly treasured by the people of Australia. In its short lifetime, it has earned a reputation as a world-class performing art centre that symbolises both Sydney and the Australian nation.
Sydney Opera House is a masterpiece of late modern architecture that’s admired internationally and proudly treasured by the people of Australia. In its short lifetime, it has earned a reputation as a world-class performing art centre that symbolises both Sydney and the Australian nation.
Upgrades to the playhouse, drama and studio theatres were recently undertaken in order to improve the fire and life safety within the building. As an extremely complex structure, there were many challenges that needed to be addressed in order to effectively manage the migration of smoke in the event of fire. It was immediately apparent that traditional mechanical smoke management systems alone would not provide the solution and that an alternative to traditional smoke containment was required.
Following a comprehensive tender, Coopers were appointed by the Sydney Opera House direct to manufacture and install SmokeStop™ smoke curtains to the Studio theatre, Drama theatre and the Playhouse theatre.
Working in conjunction with the building’s state of the art mechanical air handling systems, the SmokeStop™ smoke curtains were developed by Coopers to deploy from the ceiling to compartmentalise the backstage area of the theatres and protect the auditoriums from filling with smoke.
Once fully installed and commissioned, Sydney Opera Houses management team approached Coopers to provide its staff with comprehensive training on how the smoke curtains operated. Once trained the Opera House initiate a planned program of weekly fire and smoke testing that would include the full deployment of the curtain barriers.
Coopers developed, manufactured, installed and commissioned SmokeStop™ smoke curtains in three theatres to work in with the Opera Houses air handling system to provide a fully integrated smoke control strategy.
Furthermore, Coopers were appointed to undertake a program of planned preventative maintenance of the Opera Houses smoke curtain barriers, ensuring that the building’s occupants are protected from the harmful effects of smoke should a fire break out.
As the only company approved for the installation, commissioning and servicing of active and fixed flexible barriers for fire and smoke control under the UKAS accredited IFCC scheme SD105, the Coopers service offer is unique.
