Case story | SEM-SAFE® high-pressure water mist system

Small footprint and reliability brings

SEM-SAFE® into SKAIO, the first timber
high-rise building in Germany
Danfoss Fire Safety A/S

Source: Kaden + Lager - Third

SKAIO residential building opened its doors in 2019 and is known
as the first timber high-rise building in Germany. With a height of
34 metres, it houses 60 residential units, an elevator and a rooftop
with vegetable garden and social area.
Sustainable buildings - an increasing trend in Germany
The minimalistic, sustainable and elegant building is designed by
Kaden + Lager GmbH. The building captures the vision of a future
based on sustainable construction materials, energy consumption
and living. The building has an organic architecture and makes a
statement about people’s need to reconnect to nature, as well as
their need for better indoor air and light quality and better social
interaction.
For its outstanding design and high sustainable standards,
SKAIO received the DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council)
Diamond Award in August 2019. DGNB is a non-profit and
non-governmental organisation with the aim of raising public
awareness of the necessity of sustainable buildings and showing
that this is indeed achievable with modern technologies.
Fire protection for timber buildings is one of the most
critical factors and must comply with safety regulations such as
“Building class 5” according to Landesbauordnung für Baden-
Württemberg (version 5. March 2010), which focuses heavily on
fire-resistant construction of wall, floor and ceiling elements. The
SEM-SAFE® high-pressure water mist system complies with the
building class 5 fire-resistance requirements and today, Danfoss
Fire Safety’s system provides fire protection for the entire SKAIO
building and its residents.
One of our business partners in Germany, MULTIMON
Industrieanlagen GmbH, developed and designed the project
and installed the SEM-SAFE® high-pressure water mist system in
SKAIO.
More than 540 SEM-SAFE® high-pressure water mist nozzles, a
compact SEM-SAFE® high-pressure pump unit with 4 pumps and
14 section valves were installed in the building.

www.semsafe.danfoss.com
 Challenges Solutions

One of the challenge lay in fitting the pump unit, storage
tank, complete installation fire panel and the fire detection
system into a small pump room measuring only 7 m2.
The compact nature of the SEM-SAFE® high-pressure water mist
pump unit, the low water consumption that allows for a smaller
storage tank and the professional knowledge of our business
partner, MULTIMON, combined to give us the edge needed to
win the project.

Another challenge for the installation of the SEM-SAFE®
high-pressure water mist system was to have the necessary
piping inside the connections of the wooden ceiling parts.
The space for the installation above the ceiling was less
than 100 mm.
In cooperation with the team of carpenters, a slot was made
in the hidden timber where, the fittings and elbows could be
installed. The small diameter of the SEM-SAFE® high-pressure
water mist pipes contributed significantly to the successful bid.

“The SEM-SAFE® high-pressure water mist

system offered a lot of flexibility in
installation, which was extremely influential
in us winning the project.
With our excellent team providing the
necessary professional technical support, we
were able to install the SEM-SAFE®
high-pressure water mist system in the first
timber high-rise building in Germany.
We were very pleased to work together with Danfoss Fire Safety
and we look forward to having other exciting projects in the future.’’
States Thomas Knaak
Sales Manager Special Extinguishing Systems
Multimon Industrieanlagen GmbH

Compact SEM-SAFE® high-pressure pump unit installed at SKAIO.

High-pressure water mist is a modern & reliable fire safety technology for high-rise
buildings

ƒ The system saves space by eliminating the need for
large-diameter water pipes and reservoirs. It ensures approx.
80% less weight of piping and reservoir.
ƒ The SEM-SAFE® system eliminates the need to have sub pump
stations at more levels or for multi stage pump sets, leaving
these spaces free for other purposes such as apartments,
shops, parking spaces and commercial areas.
ƒ Approx. 30% less nozzle are installed due to larger SEM-SAFE®
nozzle spacing.
ƒ This technology protects glass facades efficiently from heat
damage. Instead of spraying water on the glass, the SEM-
SAFE® system atomises the water in front of the glass. The
system has passed the EN-1364-1 fire resistance test for non-
loadbearing elements.
Thinner glass can be installed due to the highly efficient
cooling.
ƒ Maintenance is easy, by remote testing section flow switches,
which saves time.

® Danfoss Fire Safety A/S · Middelfartvej 9 · DK-5000 Odense · Denmark

Tel. +45 7488 7800 · E-mail firesafety@danfoss.com · www.semsafe.danfoss.com

Danfoss Fire Safety A/S can accept no responsibility for possible errors in catalogues, brochures and other printed material. Danfoss Fire Safety A/S reserves the right to alter its products without notice. This
also applies to products already on order provided that such alterations can be made without subsequent changes being necessary in specification already agreed. All trademarks in this material are property
of the respective companies. SEM-SAFE® logotype is trademark of Danfoss Fire Safety A/S. Danfoss logotype is trademark of Danfoss A/S. All rights reserved.

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