Fire sprinkler systems in Al Marjan Island 

Fire sprinkler systems in Al Marjan Island: local context

Al Marjan Island is a group of reclaimed islands off Ras Al Khaimah's coast developed for resorts, hotels and residential towers, with major hospitality projects under way. Building stock is dominated by hotels and high-rise residential. Several large integrated resort projects are under construction, bringing high-rise hotel and residential towers to what was previously a low-rise emirate, and with them the full range of tower MEP requirements such as pressure zoning, stair pressurisation and high-capacity fire pumps.

• Hotels need central plants, fresh-air dehumidification, hot water with Legionella control and kitchen extract.
• Approvals typically involve the master developer NOC before municipality, Civil Defence and Etihad WE.
• Access over the causeway and limited laydown space on the island mean deliveries of large plant must be scheduled and staged carefully.

Building types we serve in Al Marjan Island

For hotels and serviced apartments, the work concentrates on quiet guestroom fan coils, kitchen and laundry extract, hot-water generation at scale, BMS supervision and phased handover to the operator.

Scope of work

• Preparation of sprinkler shop drawings showing head layout against reflected ceiling plans, beams, bulkheads, diffusers and light fittings, submitted for consultant and Civil Defence review.
• Installation of grooved and threaded branch pipework with seismic-style restraint and hanger spacing to the approved standard, plus flexible drops where ceiling coordination demands it.
• Hydrostatic pressure testing of every section, flushing of mains before head connection, and witnessed pump performance tests against the rated curve.
• Interface with the fire alarm system so flow switches, valve monitoring and pump running and fault signals report to the fire alarm panel and, where required, the monitoring link.

Systems we install

• Electric, diesel and jockey fire pump packages with listed controllers and automatic transfer.
• Pressure-reducing valve stations for high-rise pressure zoning on tall risers.

UAE site and climate challenges

• Diesel fire pumps lose output in high ambient air and hot plant rooms. We check engine derating against summer room conditions near 46–50°C and size ventilation and radiator airflow so the pump still meets its rated duty when the room is hottest.
• Coastal sites in Dubai Marina, JLT or Sharjah corniche areas bring salt-laden air that attacks exposed steel. External pipework, hangers and valve assemblies receive galvanising or coating suited to the exposure, and we avoid mixing metals at joints where galvanic corrosion would start.
• Grooved versus threaded pipework: grooved systems install faster and simplify future modification, while threaded small-bore branches suit tight ceiling voids; most projects use a combination by pipe size.

Relevant Manolia projects

Frequently asked questions