All historic buildings that were constructed before there were any codes or before the current codes were adopted, that are preserved for heritage of the structure, must still provide a minimum level of life safety for the occupants which is now a legal requirement for all places of work.
Introduction
Historic buildings are often let out for the use as museums, offices, shops, hotels, restaurants, clubs and even some with catering facilities now play an important part in the economics of many heritage institutions and as such need to be considered when fire safety is being reviewed.
To respond effectively to fire threats in historic buildings, proper fire prevention and protection measures, and the emergency action plan are needed to make sure losses will be minimal in the event of fire. How far should stakeholders and designers go to make any building whose design, construction or use makes it part of the cultural heritage safer from a fire risk perspective?
While the task of protecting and preserving the historic fabric of the heritage structure require application of general fire protection principles, there are some major differences which is a challenge for the modern designer and fire protection engineer. The challenge in protecting heritage structure is to maintain their historical fabric while providing a reasonable level of safety for their occupants and contents.
Egress Deficiency
Concern for occupant safety in historic buildings is not restricted to fires but also the safe evacuation of people in the event of emergencies. Apart from balanced fire protection with historic preservation, one challenge those engaged in historic building projects often encounter is the issue of accessibility. In most cases the number or size of emergency exit stairways for safe evacuation of people from the upper-floors of historic buildings are often inadequate by codes. Without compromising the safety of a building and its occupants, this egress deficiency presents an opportunity for creative design solutions in dealing with the means of egress in meeting the minimum exit requirement.
Retrofitting a means of escape in a historic building is always a challenge as the preservationists often impose restrictions because they do not want to damage the historic fabric of the building. To avoid harming the building’s historic character, the designer and engineer will need to have the sensitivity and ingenuity to provide innovative means of escape that do not damage the historic fabric of the building.
Egress Solution
In many ways, escape chute method provides a practical alternative to a second fire stairway in old buildings where it is not possible for the structure to construct additional stairway. It is suggested that fire services worldwide have no objections to the installation of escape chutes at buildings. If an evacuation is required the chute can support other means of escape to minimize the time taken for occupants to egress buildings during emergencies.
For example, the single-entry escape chute best serves occupants of that particular floor can be installed at strategic locations, such as at window, balcony, terrace and rooftop at the both extreme ends of a suspended historic building that have narrow stairway located at the middle of the building. In case of fire emergency, it would take a longer time for people at the both extreme ends to reach to the stairway, as it is quite a distance. The provision of escape chutes at the both extreme ends of the building will enable people to get down to the ground quickly instead of making their way to the exit stair. This concept of evacuation at height provided additional escape routes for building, without having to add on fire escape stairs from the structure, which would otherwise have been needed, a significant space was saved. This approach is similar to provide more lifeboats on the ship to increase the level of the passengers' ability to escape from an extreme event.
Each platform of the escape chute is specially designed and customized to retrofit inside the building, takes little space to install while causing the fewest intrusions to the architectural of historic structures. Always ready for uses, within seconds the chute can be launched from the platform to the ground, usability for everyone, provide state-of-art means of escape. The chute protects the evacuees from flame, heat and smoke during use. The platform is concealed by partitions when not in use and the appearance of the partitions can be designed and blended to preserve the historic aesthetics, resulting in very little visual intrusion.
Conclusion
Fire safety is more than a matter of code. It’s a matter of conscience without compromising safety of the building and its occupants. Preserving the historic fabric in the heritage structure and protecting the aesthetic needs in the architectural design of a building should never supersede fire safety, which present many challenges. Fire protection engineers face difficulty to apply general fire protection principles when designing systems for historic building, which may not meet the performance required by the code unless alternative means are allowed. For the life safety and code consultants, the challenge is coming up with the best and safest safety solutions without harming the building’s historic character.
This article contributes by Escape Consult Mobiltex (S) Pte Ltd. For more information on the escape chute evacuation system, please visit website: www.escapeconsult.com or email: mobiltex@singnet.com.sg
