Ventilation & smoke extraction in SAIF Zone (Sharjah Airport International Free Zone) 

Ventilation & smoke extraction in SAIF Zone (Sharjah Airport International Free Zone): local context

SAIF Zone sits beside Sharjah International Airport and hosts warehouses, light industrial units, logistics companies and offices in a free-zone setting. Building stock is mostly prefabricated warehouses and executive office blocks. Work here typically involves warehouse fit-outs, office conversions and industrial MEP. Being a long-established free zone, many of its units are being refitted for new tenants with different power, cooling and storage needs, so upgrade work is common alongside new construction on remaining plots.

• Warehouse fit-outs add mezzanine offices, cold rooms or process areas, which need new electrical capacity, ventilation and sprinkler modifications.
• Proximity to the airport limits crane heights and requires coordinated lifting plans.
• Warehouse roofs are lightweight, so rooftop packaged units, exhaust fans and solar water heaters need structural checks and proper support frames before installation.

Building types we serve in SAIF Zone (Sharjah Airport International Free Zone)

For factories and industrial plants, the work concentrates on process cooling and ventilation, heavy LV distribution, hazard-appropriate fire protection and plant that tolerates dust and high ambient temperatures.

Scope of work

• 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.
• Natural ventilation openings, automatic smoke vents and their actuators where the fire strategy relies on them, tested to open on alarm.

Systems we install

• Stair and lobby pressurisation fans
• Motorised smoke dampers and relief dampers

UAE site and climate challenges

• 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.
• Basement car parks in coastal towers can see condensation on cold surfaces when hot humid air is pulled in at high rates, so supply air paths and ramp openings are reviewed to limit wet floors and corrosion of jet fans.
• 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

AUS Bowling City, Sharjah

University City (Sharjah) · MEP · Completed

MEP design & build plus decoration for a G+4 leisure building.

Two Nahda residential towers, Sharjah

Al Nahda (Sharjah) · MEP · Completed

MEP for two towers of 23 and 24 typical floors over parking podiums.

Frequently asked questions