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Vancouver Gas Fireplaces was approached by an architectural firm in Toronto to design a fireplace for the lobby of a hotel located at the Eaton Center in the city’s downtown core. The design idea was for a fire pit type of burner with a 360-degree view, topped by a dramatic copper faced hood. This hood design stretched up to the 30-plus foot domed glass ceiling which is back lit to provide the illusion of exterior space.
The fire pit is enclosed with four laminated panels of curved tempered glass separated by four elegant slender stainless steel supports. The circular raised base is clad with a soft pink marble. The overall effect is one of inviting warmth created by the fusion of quality crafted materials.
The challenge for our team in engineering this fireplace was the venting. As with most hotel lobbies, the floors above render vertical venting impractical. This particular project was a retrofit—any new exterior penetrations in this highly visible building would be carefully scrutinized.
The first idea put forth by the architectural firm was to vent the fireplace horizontally approximately 30 feet through a mechanical space in the ceiling and then down through a grill in an exterior overhanging soffit. The problem was that venting systems that allow for a downward termination would not be approved for use with fireplaces due to heat and vent pressure issues. Ultimately we recommended that the fireplace be vented through a hole cored through the concrete façade. We proceeded on this course and the hole was covered with a grill.
In many of our custom projects, the actual designing of the burner and how the flame will look takes up very little of our time. The challenge comes in deciding what will contain the flame, how it will be fed (gas or electricity) and, most importantly in pressurized commercial buildings, how air will be provided for combustion and dilution for venting. Finally how will the feature be vented while maintaining safe clearances and venting conditions? To the casual viewer who enjoys the ambiance of a real flame in a public space, little thought is given to how you safely contain and vent a potentially dangerous element. The Eaton Center project was no different in the challenges it presented to the architect and to Vancouver Gas Fireplaces in trying to engineer the working core of the fire feature.
A final curve was thrown into the mix when, during the installation phase, it was discovered that the vent route was blocked by an existing mechanical duct installation. This could have potentially caused a dip in the installation, creating a low point—never a good idea when venting gases that can pool and potentially condensate. Ultimately the installing contractor devised a solution which was satisfactory to the inspector and the installation was completed.
Aside from mechanical considerations—which in most cases can be overcome—a common denominator in difficult mechanical installations is a champion for the completion of the unique feature. In the case of the Eaton Center project it was the architect who persevered in pushing for solutions to issues where others might have settled for a reduced or lesser feature.
Vancouver Gas Fireplaces is North America's leading wholesaler and innovator of custom fireplace design and implementation. VGF provides the most comprehensive fireplace website to architects, builders, designers and renovators.
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