Hekatron GmbH specialises in fire alarm technology for buildings. The forward-looking company commissioned the IZT to draw up a "Roadmap 2020+". The methodology used in the project was based on a new technology roadmap developed by the IZT. The "Roadmap 2020+" was intended to provide important orientation and impetus for future requirements in fire protection. Social, technological, structural and legal trends and challenges were taken into account. The analysis concluded with milestones and recommendations for the company's technology planning up to 2020+.

Hekatron is a leading specialist in the development, manufacture and sale of fire protection systems. The company commissioned the IZT to conduct a study on the future of fire protection. The project was carried out jointly by the IZT (author: Dr Michael Scharp) and Dr Mandy Peters (bauart Konstruktions GmbH & Co. KG).

In the project, the technology roadmap methodology developed by the IZT was used in an abridged form. The creation of the roadmap consisted of a multi-stage process that began with a trend analysis in selected fields of investigation. Based on the evaluation of the trends in these fields, a scenario was developed with possible influencing factors, developments and potential applications for fire protection systems. On this basis, guided interviews were conducted with experts. The interviews to clarify the open questions of the scenario were analysed and resulted in a basic paper on future trends, which was discussed at an expert workshop. In the final step, the results of the analysis and evaluation were summarised and translated into milestones, activities and recommendations. The written evaluation then formed the roadmap. The following diagram shows the procedure:

The trend analysis on fire protection in buildings was carried out until March 2008. The following topics were analysed:

  • Trends and changes in the construction industry: Existing buildings and building types in residential and commercial construction, General development of the construction industry, Future development of the construction industry up to 2010, Architecture and design in residential and commercial construction, Building materials and constructions and other trends in building and living.
  • Development of private income and consumer spending
  • Socio-demographic change and its consequences
  • Changing lifestyles and housing needs
  • Technological trends in building services engineering: Building control technology and building automation, information and communication technology, Heat supply and air conditioning technology, Power supply and electrics
  • Technological developments in fire protection technology
  • Development of the legal framework of fire protection: national building law, industrial and commercial construction, special buildings, European developments.

Based on the trend analysis, numerous trends were identified that have an influence on the development of technical fire protection systems. Expert interviews were conducted to validate the initial estimates.