Kitchen extract systems in Sharjah 

Kitchen extract systems in Sharjah: local context

Sharjah combines a dense band of 20–30 storey residential towers along Al Nahda, Al Taawun, Al Khan and Al Majaz with older mid-rise stock, large industrial areas and newer master-planned communities such as Aljada and Tilal City further inland. Much of its housing serves people who work in Dubai, so residential towers with podium car parks dominate the urban core. MEP work here is shaped by SEWA utility requirements, Sharjah Civil Defence review, and a high share of retrofit and replacement work in buildings that are 15–30 years old. Manolia has a long record in Sharjah, from residential towers to the American University of Sharjah campus.

MEP drawings typically go through Sharjah Municipality as part of the building permit, with Sharjah Civil Defence approving fire and life safety designs and inspecting installed systems before occupancy. SEWA handles electrical load, water and gas connection approvals and final inspections. In free zones or master-planned communities, a developer or zone NOC usually comes first; the route is confirmed per plot.

• Sharjah Civil Defence reviews fire alarm, firefighting, smoke extract and emergency lighting designs, and many older towers need upgrades to bring fire systems in line with the current UAE Fire & Life Safety Code during refurbishment.
• Much of the work is in occupied residential buildings: chiller or split replacements, riser upgrades and plumbing re-piping must be phased floor by floor with water and power shutdowns coordinated with building management.

Building types we serve in Sharjah

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.

For schools and university buildings, the work concentrates on high fresh-air rates for dense classrooms, quiet systems, holiday-window works in occupied campuses and robust controls.

Scope of work

• Review of the kitchen equipment layout and cooking types to confirm hood sizes, extract volumes and make-up air requirements.
• Installation of welded or sealed grease ductwork with falls to drain points, access doors for cleaning and fire-rated enclosure where required.
• Kitchen hoods with baffle filters, and where specified, UV or electrostatic treatment to reduce grease and odour at discharge.
• Coordination with the wet chemical hood suppression system and gas shut-off interlocks.
• Commissioning of extract and make-up flows, with handover of a grease duct cleaning schedule.

Systems we install

• Welded grease ductwork with access doors
• Kitchen exhaust fans for grease-laden air
• Make-up air units with cooling coils

UAE site and climate challenges

• Make-up air drawn from outside is very hot and humid in summer, so it is cooled or partially treated to keep kitchen staff comfortable without overloading the main HVAC system.
• In mall food courts and hotel kitchens on podium levels, exhaust stacks often discharge close to fresh-air intakes of neighbouring AHUs, and hot prevailing winds can push plumes back, so separation distances and stack heights are checked against wind direction.

Decisions to make early

• Ductwork routing and enclosure, where shorter routes reduce fire risk and cleaning effort but may conflict with architectural layouts, structural beams and shaft availability.
• Variable speed extract based on cooking activity or hood temperature sensors, which saves energy outside rush periods but needs careful control integration and commissioning.

Relevant Manolia projects

Frequently asked questions