Always up to date and always connected, the housing cooperative Wohnungsgenossenschaft Munich-West eG recognized the advantages of digital information systems early on and brought in gekartel AG, a specialist for innovative digital signage solutions. With the digital noticeboard, gekartel AG has developed a modern medium for interaction and communication in apartment buildings. A touchscreen replaces the outdated paper notices on the bulletin boards, providing real-time information about the latest news or the next hallway cleaning. Residents can send digital content to the housing cooperative, which publishes the notifications from the headquarters to individual house entrances, selected addresses or the entire estate. Despite these benefits, the installation was often halted due to the strict fire protection regulations for listed buildings, because the wood-panelled hallways, as escape and rescue routes, count as sensitive areas in which even the smallest electrical fire could quickly spread to a large-scale fire. This would jeopardize the safety goal of safely rescuing the residents.
To overcome this challenge, gekartel installed in the electronics the E-Bulb, the smallest fire extinguisher in the world, a device-integrated extinguishing system that detects and fights incipient fires before they can spread. This means that a fire inside the device cannot cause any damage outside, and the fire department of the Munich fire brigade was the final authority to grant permission for the installation.
“Thanks to device-integrated fire protection, it is now possible for us to install the digital noticeboard in all escape and rescue routes,” says Thomas Schimmel, board member of the Munich-West eG housing association. It will be part of the standard equipment in the housing portfolio in the future. Device-integrated fire protection overcomes hurdles that have previously prevented a switch to digital solutions, opening the doors to digitization.
PROJEKTZUSAMMENFASSUNG
The Berlin-based start-up Rechargy uses an innovative business model that involves renting out power banks and setting up “Power Banks To Go” stations. The Rechargy stations are located in public areas and are therefore subject to strict fire safety and security requirements. Thanks to AMFE, the charging and power electronics areas are reliably protected.
EWM GmbH, a leading welding technology supplier, maintains high quality standards backed by advanced testing and safety systems. To prevent operational failures, the company focused on protecting electrical components. In late 2023, intelligent mini fire extinguishers were installed in nine electrical systems in cooperation with Wichmann to suppress incipient fires directly at their source.
