SPACE St Andrews is a purpose-built student accommodation campus on Kilrymont Road in St Andrews, a 15-minute walk from the university’s main buildings. The campus offers self-contained en-suite studios alongside one, two, three and four-bedroom shared apartments, supported by a 24/7 onsite team and communal facilities including a gym, study spaces, an events auditorium and a convenience store.
SmartMist Fire installed water mist fire suppression at SPACE St Andrews. In a building where hundreds of students live, cook and sleep, the suppression system is a core part of keeping residents safe.
Project overview
- Development: SPACE St Andrews, Kilrymont Road, St Andrews, KY16 8DE
- Client: Space Student Accommodation
- Project type: Purpose-built student accommodation with studios and one to four-bedroom shared apartments
- SmartMist service: Water mist fire suppression installation
- Sector: Purpose-built student accommodation, Fife
The requirement
Purpose-built student accommodation can fall within the shared multi-occupancy residential building requirements in Standard 2.15 of the Scottish building standards.
The relevant technical handbook depends on the building type, layout, warrant date and scope of works, so each project should be checked against the version of Standard 2.15 that applied when the warrant was submitted or the work started.
The guidance is clear about why these systems are used. They are designed primarily for life safety, and successful activation gives occupants more time to escape after a fire starts. In student accommodation that reasoning carries particular force. Residents are living independently, many for the first time, and the building contains a large number of individual kitchens across its studios and shared apartments, occupied around the clock during term time.
The installation itself had to meet the practical demands of a large accommodation building:
- Consistent coverage across studios, shared apartments and communal spaces
- A discreet finish within compact, design-led rooms
- Scheduling that kept the wider fit-out programme on track
- Clear handover information for the team operating the building
Why water mist
Water mist systems suppress fire with fine water droplets that control flames and reduce heat. As the NFPA notes, they achieve this with less water and smaller pipework than standard sprinkler systems.
In a dense residential building, those characteristics work hard. Smaller pipework is easier to route through repeated room layouts and service risers, and small nozzles sit neatly within a 21 square metre studio where every part of the room is on show. Lower water flow also limits the damage to the room, and to the rooms around and below it, if the system ever activates.
The result
SmartMist Fire completed the water mist installation at SPACE St Andrews. The completed installation gave the building:
- Automatic fire suppression meeting Standard 2.15 for shared multi-occupancy residential buildings
- Consistent coverage across studios, shared apartments and communal areas
- A discreet finish within design-led student rooms
- Full handover documentation and aftercare support for the onsite team
What operators can take from SPACE St Andrews
Fire suppression in student accommodation protects a building that is home to hundreds of people at once, with individual kitchens throughout and full occupancy during term time.
Planning the suppression work into the programme early gave the project team time to review the design, arrange access and confirm requirements, and the handover put working knowledge of the system with the 24/7 team who run the building.
This project also shows the breadth of settings where water mist fits. SmartMist installs across new build housing, conversions and now purpose-built student accommodation, and the same qualities apply in each: small pipework, a discreet finish and low water flow.
If you operate or are developing student accommodation or another shared residential building, ask three questions early. What does Standard 2.15 require for this building type? Is water mist suitable for the design? How will installation fit around the programme?
Planning a development?
If you are planning student accommodation, an apartment block, a residential conversion or a new build development in Scotland, SmartMist Fire can advise on water mist systems, installation planning and the best route for your project.
Speak to SmartMist Fire early, before fire suppression becomes a late-stage problem.