The Darlington, a 70-year-old historic downtown Atlanta residential high rise, is in the middle of a major renovation set to be completed July of 2021. Fire Systems, Inc. is the fire protection company installing the fire alarm system and life safety system for the building. This renovation is currently in phase II and has been over two years in the making.
Preserving history & renovating
The Darlington was built in 1949 as the tallest residential high-rise in the Southeast. Along with this beloved high-rise is its iconic “Atlanta’s Population Now” sign (erected in 1965), right out front. The 16-story building is built on 7.5-acres, located on Peachtree Road between Midtown and Buckhead.
A local investment firm (Varden Capital Properties) bought the property two years ago and began plans for renovation. Fire Systems, Inc. started working with the general contractor on this project (Buckhaven Construction) about two years ago with the life safety designs and cost estimates.
Per a press release provided by Varden Capital Properties last summer, the goal of the renovation is to renovate the previous 612 apartments into a 276 luxury condominium community complete with resort style amenities.
Installing fire & life safety systems
“This project consists of a complete renovation of a 16-story mixed-use apartment building. It will have 600 residential units and various retail spaces below. I believe it’s about a $25-$30-million-dollar renovation, and Fire Systems, Inc. is responsible for the fire alarm portion,” explains Jan-Carlos Quilichini, sales representative for Fire Systems, Inc. “We’re installing the Notifier fire alarm and R.A.T.H. area-of-refuge life safety systems. The fire alarm will have voice evacuation as required for all high-rise buildings.”
The system installed is a Notifier NFS2-3030 Intelligent 1 to 10 Loop Fire Alarm Control Panel with integrated digital voice evacuation. This fire alarm system is part of Notifier’s ONYX® Series. Voice evacuation is not only required in high-rise buildings, but also absolutely necessary for proper evacuation in the event of a fire emergency. This system features integrated digital voice command with eight channels of high-quality digital audio and five channels of fire fighter’s telephone, all on a single riser.
In addition to the fire alarm system, Fire Systems was also charged with installation of a RATH Area of Refuge life safety system. This system is essentially a two-way communication system to assist first responders. RATH explains: “The “Areas of Refuge” concept was established to provide a location for building occupants, who cannot traverse the stairs without assistance, to be able to assemble by an exit and await assistance or instructions by the first responders.” These areas are required on each floor above ground level and must be clearly marked and provide two-way communication system to a central control point (base station) within the building.
Fire Systems, Inc.
Fire Systems, Inc. is a leader in fire protection in the Southeast and has been for decades. A company with such expertise and reputation in the community can efficiently and successfully take on projects of this size and scope. They have been serving the Atlanta-area since 1986. From installation to inspections, Fire Systems’ technicians are highly skilled and extensively trained on the most advanced fire alarm systems on the market. If you need help choosing the best system for your building, or a fire protection company to conduct regular, required inspections, Fire Systems, Inc. can help. As your ally in fire protection, they do it all. That’s why their motto is, and always has been, “all services, one company.” Find out more via their website or call at 770-333-7979.
