Question

(Q2) As a fire engineer, assume that you are assigned to a fire engineering design of the retail building with extraordinary atrium that connected six floors. You have to adopt fire engineering approach on this project and conduct a theoretical analysis of full evacuation in this commercial building. Please brief your design procedures. (Hint: Relationship between occupant density, travel speed and flow is recommended to consider.)

Answer 1

The use of fire engineering method permits the exposed steel column to make fire protected with extent of coating whihc gives the premium quality finish. in normal practice natural ventilation was designed such that it will limit the temperature of the layers in smoke. To adopt this fire engineering approach on this working project and helps preparing a theoretical analysis of full evacuation for this commercial building , the folowing methodology design procedure are following -

1- The entry doorways to the staircase on level 1 to level 6 will be configured as self closing smoke doors so as the construction around the walls and wall ceilings will be resistant to the entry of smoke .

2- Window will be equipped with metallic fly screens which will be suitable for the use in bushfire prone areas.

3- The doorways opening in to the lobby .

4- To allow extended travel distance for maximum upto 8.4 m to a single exit wich is serving the apartments on the upper part of the building .

5- Occupant density would normally be expected around 70 , building occupant can both awake and also sleeping Occcupants will also be intoxicated

These are the some of the basic criteria which can be employed for the fire engineering design for retail building.