Ventilation & smoke extraction in Abu Dhabi City 

Ventilation & smoke extraction in Abu Dhabi City: local context

Abu Dhabi City covers the main island's grid of streets, from the Corniche towers and government buildings to dense mid-rise blocks built from the 1980s onward, along with hotels, hospitals and private palaces. Many buildings are now 20–40 years old, so replacement and upgrade work runs alongside new towers. Manolia's work in the capital includes building works for a G+3P+24 office tower, MEP works for a 28-storey tower and HVAC works for Al Bahar Palace.

• Older towers on the island often need chiller and cooling tower replacements, re-piping of corroded risers and new BMS controls, delivered while tenants stay in place.
• Fire and life safety upgrades are approved and witnessed by ADCDA, and refurbishments commonly bring smoke control, alarm and sprinkler systems into line with the current UAE Fire & Life Safety Code.
• Palaces demand concealed, quiet HVAC with precise zoning, robust standby capacity and finishes that tolerate no visible ductwork or grilles out of place.

Building types we serve in Abu Dhabi City

For high-rise towers, the work concentrates on pressure-zoned water and drainage stacks, riser and plant-room coordination, stair pressurisation and a cooling source sized for diversity across dozens of typical floors.

Scope of work

• Review of the approved fire strategy so smoke zones, fan duties and pressurisation targets are understood before equipment selection.
• Fire-rated cabling and secondary power arrangements for smoke control fans so they operate during a fire.
• Interface wiring with the fire alarm system for zone-by-zone activation and fan status feedback.
• Cause-and-effect testing, door opening force checks and Civil Defence witnessed tests.

Systems we install

• CO and NO2 gas detection for demand ventilation
• Fire alarm interfaces and firefighters control panel

UAE site and climate challenges

• Pressurisation fans draw outdoor air that may be very hot and dusty, so intakes are positioned away from smoke exhaust discharges and fitted with sand louvres to keep fans and dampers working reliably.
• Strong winds and sand can jam relief dampers and louvres, so these are checked during commissioning and included in periodic maintenance to ensure they open and close freely on demand.
• Whether to use dedicated smoke fans or dual-purpose fans that ventilate daily and switch to smoke mode, which saves equipment but needs high-temperature ratings and careful control priority.

Relevant Manolia projects

Frequently asked questions