Smoke Curtains for Airports & Metro Stations

— 01

Airports

Airport fires are a documented threat — Ataturk in Istanbul, Manchester, and Amsterdam’s Schiphol all saw significant fires, and the FAA requires dedicated fire brigades at airports above a certain size and flight frequency.

Air traffic control must stay online through the event: curtains deploy to form walls around the control room, creating a smoke and fire safe haven for up to 2 hours. Deployment is automatic or manual, integrated with the existing fire alarm system, and egress-safe — an exit button releases the curtain, and the fabric is light enough to lift by hand.

In concourses, curtains route smoke to the extraction system, block its spread, and protect escalator and tram routes for egress and fire personnel ingress. Deployable draft curtains can also replace the 18-inch draft glass at ceiling level for cleaner sightlines.

— 02

Metro stations

Metro stations must continue operating through fire, explosion, or arson, and new concourses are designed open — which makes smoke management the critical problem. Curtains channel smoke into compartments so the extraction system can vent it; extraction alone cannot separate the smoke layer from breathable air. Curtains also deploy along escalators so the route to egress stays clear.

Smoke, not flame, is the number one cause of death in any fire — in the deadliest transit fires, most victims were never near the fire source.