Fire Safety Engineering and Building Construction Methods - Essay Example

Fire Safety Engineering TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Introduction……………………………………………………………………………. 2. Building Construction Methods………………………………………………………... 3. Fire Safety………………………………………………………………………........... 4. Smoke Movement..……..……………………………………………………………… 5. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………........... Fire Safety Engineering Introduction Since the last two decades a lot of argument and consideration has being taking place on the topic of an “intelligent building”. There has been a lot of effort has been undertaken in order to describe this expression. One person defines it as: “An intelligent building is a dynamic and responsive architecture that provides every occupant with productive, cost effective and environmentally approved conditions through a continuous interaction among its four basic elements: places (fabric; structure; facilities): processes (automation; control; systems): people (services; users) and management (design; construction; performance) and the inter-relationship between them.” (University of Reading, n.d.). By the implementation of such technologies and methods, the buildings that are produced have low operating expenses but are of more value to the users. For those schemes which are proprietor inhabited, that can be corporate, government and institutions, the advantages of such a building offer with an instantaneous return on investment relative to improved worker yield as well as decreased functioning expenditure. While there are advantages for this, for the marketable growths such schemes are also anticipated to bring in extra rents, better maintenance, enhanced tenancy rates and reduced functioning costs. That means there are only advantages through this situation. Building Construction Methods Intelligent building technologies try to enhance the building atmosphere and operation foe occupiers while at the same time keep expenses to a minimum. The operators wish to offer the service whilst keeping costs low. This is indeed achievable. An example can be an efficient energy supervision scheme that would provide with the minimum expense energy, prevent wastage of energy and allow for effectively using the staff by means of central managing and incorporating data as of various structures. An effective incorporated system allows for a contemporary, thorough safety system to function properly. An entirely built-in functionality will comprise of the capability to open doors, inform accountable workers of unsolicited interferences and make sure that lighting, fire plus other building administration systems know about the workers who enter or leave the building. Transducers (detectors) can be used that would allow for the provision of the capability to calculate and respond to different building issues; such as, vibration, strain and moisture. This would allow for proper monitoring of the building’s infrastructure state. Every building system can have a personal computer that would use the standard information dispensation communication methods. Lighting has to be different in each building according to the requirements. The actual aim of it is to provide the occupiers with the lighting that is optimum for completing certain optical works efficiently and fruitfully. Voice and data communication ability should be perfect as it is vital for efficient function. There is life safety system; it is usually called “fire systems”, and is determined through code considerations. Security systems have to open doors for every code restriction during crisis. Enhanced elevator service can also be offered to the occupiers. Some of the elevators can be closed for a certain period daily in order to save energy and reduce costs. Escalators can help in saving energy as they can slow or stop when there is no travelling. This method of saving energy advantages the motorized parts too, which are not required to operate all the time. Fire Safety The chief role of a fire strategy is describing the functioning of a building relative to its fire safety. In order to tackle the life as well as material danger in buildings, an incorporated plan/ authoritarian tactic is required. Most of the countries require that fire safety be expressed through three features that include (ARUP, n.d.): Means of escape Control of fire spread (both internal and external to the building) Access and facilities for fire fighting The tactic can also be continued further than just the normal conventions. The method should be such that it is interactive, because every feature of fire safety is interconnected and each and every one of it depends on the three chief aspects; which are the buildings’ function, situation and size. In order to provide strategy procedures for concrete frameworks, two main tactics are available. One is the conventional, regulatory code based methodology which directs the different features of life security autonomously of each other, by making use of standard regulations and principles. Due to the fact that the plans for novel concrete structures are increasing in their complication, there is a need for methods apart from the standard codes as these are no longer appropriate (Ingham & Tarada, 2007). The substitute is the taking on of a performance-based, fire engineering plan method which is explained in an SFPE manual (Society of Fire Protection Engineers, 2001). The performance-based tactic also considers the complication of new edifices as well as the interconnectivity amid the different fire safety procedures and techniques. Engineering and risk investigations are founded on the primary study into matters like fire and smoke spread, the conduct of individuals and the reaction of services to fire, to ascertain a performance-based answer. Through the performance-based method, the improvement of pioneering edificial explanations are provided and also the framework including the desired rank of security at the least expense, in financial as well as environmental context. The tactic takes into consideration fire safety engineering as an incorporated parcel of procedures planned to attain the utmost advantage from the tactics present for the prevention as well as control of the results of fire. Now there is a much enhanced requirement for fire safety engineering as concrete is being utilized in increasingly demanding building and communications schemes. In order to accomplish these needs, fire safety practitioners offer tailored and lucrative engineering solutions for a diversified variety of concrete buildings. When fire incidents take place their comparatively great fire resilience suggests that concrete frameworks can usually be refurbished instead of being reinstated. Expert structural and materials engineers can evaluate the buildings that are harmed due to fire and identify knowledgeable refurbishment solutions. This is a substitute to pulling down and offers great savings in economic terms along with savings in subsequent harm. This is possible because it allows for beforehand reemployment. Smoke Movement The fact that the smoke produced by fire is a possible danger to life has been known since ages. Any casualty on account of fire is more because of the smoke than the heat produced. At the moment fire safety in buildings is being made available through the means of fire resistive construction and compartmentation, plus by reducing the usage of flammable material and the material that are ranked high in their flame spread rating, to a minimal. Building and fire codes reflect these instruments and other methods too. Principally these measures are there in order to control the extent to which fire spreads, and the ultimate goal is to curtail danger to life and property (Tamura & McGuire, 1971). The size of tire resistive construction can be limited by restricting a fire to a certain region. Also, this reduces the extent to which smoke spreads. Although this is the case, fire resistive compartments do not inhibit the spreading of smoke from the fire compartment to nearby regions. This is due to the fact that the area comprising of a compartment is not sealed from air or smoke. Although a fire can be restricted to some particular region, the smoke can drift off to other regions of the building. This poses as a hazard for the occupiers who are further off from the cause along with to those who are right near the fire. There have been incidents in which occupiers at places further away from the region of fire have expired. When a fire takes place it is necessary that the buildings are evacuated so as to curtail the loss of life o a minimum. As common sense says it is quicker to evacuate occupiers of low buildings than those of higher ones; like around 20 storeys high, which take approximately more than half an hour (Galbreath, 1969). In high rise buildings it would be difficult for most occupiers to get pass the stair shafts from the higher floors to the ground one, especially when in an urgent situation. The spreading of smoke has to be taken into account for low as well as high rise buildings. In the latter it is more crucial because it is possible that escape paths happen to be unsound prior to the occupiers being evacuated. Even though a fire may possibly be restricted just in a fire resistive compartment, it is very much probable that the smoke would spread to the nearby regions by means of air leakage apertures like cracks and ducts. Such breaches would lead to a considerable flow of smoke even if there is only a low pressure disparity. Conclusion When there is a fire in the near ground floors of a high rise building, the higher floors as well as the escape paths are in very much danger of becoming polluted with smoke and at a great speed. Due to this, the control in the spreading of smoke should be taken as a significant issue when the buildings are being designed. Bibliography ARUP. n.d. Holistic fire safety strategies. [Online] Available at: http://www.arup.com/fire/skill.cfm?pageid=4388 [Accessed 22 March 2009]. Ehrlich, P. August 2005. What Is An Intelligent Building? Part 2: Intelligent Building Construction and Operation. [Online] Available at: http://www.automatedbuildings.com/news/aug05/articles/ibtpe/ibtpe.htm [Accessed 22 March 2009]. Galbreath, M. May, 1969. Time of evacuation by stairs in high buildings. National Research Council of Canada, Division of Building Research. Fire Research Note 8. (Reprinted from Fire Fighting in Canada, February 1969). Ingham, J. & Tarada, F. October 2007. Durable Concrete. Concrete. p.27. National Research Council Canada. 1 January 1971. CBD-133. Smoke Movement in High-Rise Buildings. [Online] Available at: http://irc.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/pubs/cbd/cbd133_e.html [Accessed 22 March 2009]. Society of Fire Protection Engineers. 2001. SFPE engineering guide to performance-based fire protection analysis and design of buildings, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Bethesda, MD. University of Reading. n.d. MSc Intelligent Buildings. [Online] Available at: http://www.reading.ac.uk/CME/pg-taught/cme-pgt-mscintelligentbuildings.asp [Accessed 22 March 2009]. Read More