Fire safety concerns for new architectural features.

摘要

As experienced, many new architectural features have difficulties in complying with the prescriptive fire codes in Hong Kong. Active updating of the existing codes and adopting performance-based fire codes are essential in the new century. However, both approaches cannot be achieved without a good understanding on the problems inside. Fire safety concerns associated with the new architectural features were therefore studied and being the focus of this thesis.; Four popular architectural features including atrium design, double-skin facade (DSF), internal building void (IBV) and ultra high-rise building design were identified to study their hidden fire risks. Methodologies included analysis of numerical experiments, critical review on fire codes and fire incidents, application of fire engineering tools including fire models, and full-scale burning tests. It was revealed that the new generation of architecture was usually associated with some hidden fire risks which had not been paid adequate attention.; By analyzing the development and establishment of the existing fire codes, including the standard fire tests and equal area hypothesis, their inadequacy in protecting new buildings against fires was unveiled. The fire safety objectives of the existing codes in which only accidental fires were included were insufficient in defeating non-accidental fires. The existing fire codes would require major revisions and performance-based codes are needed to take non-accidental fires into consideration to protect new architectural features against fires.; As these exercises would take time, a Fire Risk Assessment Scheme, including total fire safety concept, was proposed to provide quicker estimate on buildings of higher fire risks. By considering the passive building design, fire services installation, fire safety management, political stability and social stability, the relative fire risk the building encountered could be evaluated and prompt remedial measures for improving fire safety provisions could be thus determined.; The diversified investigation results of this study can be unified to provide a checklist for designers' consideration when planning for innovative designs for which fire safety aspects should be paid additional attention. The checklist could become a good start in handling the brand new building designs and maintaining the fire safety level of our built environment.