{"id":3806,"date":"2023-05-08T16:00:36","date_gmt":"2023-05-08T13:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fire-techinfo.com\/?p=3806"},"modified":"2023-05-08T16:19:55","modified_gmt":"2023-05-08T13:19:55","slug":"fire-protection-of-high-rise-buildings-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fire-techinfo.com\/en\/fire-protection-of-high-rise-buildings-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Fire protection of high-rise buildings – Part 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Taller and closer to each other – that is the future of buildings in Europe. The construction of high-rise buildings has become increasingly important to our society in recent years. Due to the large number of people residing in these buildings, the topic of fire safety of high-rise buildings is becoming more and more relevant. The main question is whether people are sufficiently protected and what fire protection measures are needed to ensure that protection<\/strong>.
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Fire safety is a very important issue in the design, construction and operation of high-rise buildings. In order to achieve effective fire protection, synergy between all participants in the construction and investment process and then in the period of operation of the building is a basic condition. Among these participants are investors, architects, designers, builders, fire safety authorities, fire safety engineering companies, insurance companies, users, owners and managers. The role of designers and fire safety companies is extremely important, as they are the connecting link and observe the implementation of all necessary measures.<\/strong><\/p>\n

SYNCHRON-S, specialized in the field of fire safety, shares its experience in fire protection of high-rise buildings. The company is the leader of the Bulgarian market in the protection of high-rise buildings by means of new proven technologies for fire prevention.<\/strong><\/p>\n

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Specifics in fire protection of high-rise buildings<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

In terms of fire safety, high-rise buildings have their own specific characteristics compared to other buildings and definitely a much higher risk of rapid fire development. Therefore, the fire safety of high-rise buildings should be approached holistically. Managing fire load and ignition sources, limiting fire spread, and finding ways that occupants can safely and quickly exit the building are among the critical factors in successful fire protection.<\/p>\n

An additional risk is that the external fa\u00e7ade can create a dominating role in fire spread with devastating consequences, especially when other fire safety elements are not designed to cope with such eventualities.<\/p>\n

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Examples of fire incidents in high-rise buildings. Source: Archive of the author.<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Statistics show that high-rise building fires on the facade and structure cause only 35% of the total number of fires, but leads to much more severe consequences – 84% of deaths, 79% of injuries and 83% of property damage.<\/p>\n

A key element in building design which is used to minimise the risk of fire is compartmentation, or separating the building into fire compartments to stop fire transferring from one area to another. Another element is the selection of materials as well as other fire safety management practices to limit fire spreading both inside and outside the building. The highly flammable facades, for example, have the ability to spread fire from one part of the building to other areas very quickly.<\/p>\n

Thick walls and fire-resistant coatings are used to divide a building into fireproof enclosed compartments, so that in case of fire, it spreads relatively slowly. In most cases, this measure is reliable, but when it does fail, the result can be catastrophic. For example, when pipelines or ducts of heating and other installations penetrate fire compartments – then the fire will use these channels literally as “highways” to go from one end of the building to another.<\/p>\n

The question arises: What needs to be done so that there are no breakthroughs in fire protection? What are the fire risks in high-rise buildings and how can they be overcome?<\/p>\n


\nCharacteristics of high-rise buildings and associated fire hazards
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The main goal of the fire protection of high-rise buildings is to achieve maximum safety for the people residing in the building, as well as to preserve the building’s structure. Fire protection must preserve the structural integrity of the building so as to provide a safe refuge for people until their evacuation.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Providing reliable fire protection is a serious challenge. High-rise buildings have specific characteristics and architectural-constructive features that are not found in traditional buildings. This means that for proper fire protection, it is necessary to carefully study the specific features of different types of high-rise buildings – office buildings, hotels, hospitals, dormitories, residential buildings, multi-purpose buildings, etc. Most often, high-rise buildings are characterized by the following:<\/p>\n