Ventilation & smoke extraction in Dubailand 

Ventilation & smoke extraction in Dubailand: local context

Dubailand is a vast inland zone off the Emirates Road and Al Ain Road that has been carved into many master-planned communities, from townhouse and villa clusters to mid- and high-rise residential, developed in phases since the 2000s and still being built out. Plots range from single buildings to whole neighbourhoods under one developer. Manolia completed HVAC works for a G+14 residential tower with gym here.

• Inland plots see some of the highest ambient temperatures in Dubai, so air-cooled chillers and VRF condensers are selected with high-ambient derating and placed to avoid hot-air recirculation on crowded roofs.
• Open desert around active plots drives sand into condenser coils, louvres and AHU intakes, so sand-trap louvres, pre-filters and easy coil-cleaning access are worth designing in from the start.
• Approvals frequently start with a master developer NOC for the specific community before Dubai Municipality and Civil Defence submissions, and infrastructure handover timing can affect when DEWA connections are available.

Building types we serve in Dubailand

For mid-rise residential and mixed-use buildings, the work concentrates on compact plant on the roof, car-park ventilation in podiums, metered apartment DBs and tight ceiling voids that make coordination drawings decisive.

Scope of work

• Review of the approved fire strategy so smoke zones, fan duties and pressurisation targets are understood before equipment selection.
• Installation of car park ventilation with jet fans, main extract fans and CO or NO2 sensors controlling normal ventilation.
• Stair and lift lobby pressurisation fans with relief dampers or variable speed control to maintain pressure without making doors hard to open.
• Smoke exhaust fans, smoke dampers and make-up air paths for atria, malls and corridors as required by the strategy.

Systems we install

• Car park jet fans and main extract fans
• Smoke exhaust fans rated for high temperature

UAE site and climate challenges

• Basement car parks in summer accumulate heat and vehicle exhaust, so normal ventilation rates are controlled by CO and NO2 sensors to save energy while keeping air quality safe for drivers and attendants.
• 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.
• Fan redundancy and secondary power arrangements, which add cost but determine how robust the smoke control system remains if one fan or one supply fails during a fire.

Relevant Manolia projects

Frequently asked questions