Observations of crowd behaviour during evacuation show that people use paths that are familiar to them. NIRAS Safety use this fact to design fire protection measures where familiar circulation paths are used for fire escape.
Exhibition and conference centres are typically designed for a very high occupancy levels, coupled with high varied fire loads as they are used as a platform for exhibition events.
The multifunctional use requires great openness within the building, so fire and smoke control is a significant challenge. This can be typically solved with optimised smoke ventilation systems and carefully specified construction. The huge occupancy in exhibition centres poses a challenge in escape route design which must be optimised using a comprehensive analysis to avoid loosing vast floor areas to escape routes and escape stairs.
Value and flexibility NIRAS Safety bring to exhibition centre projects include:
- Maximum flexibility and versatility of use to enhance the commercial viability of a project.
- Large uninterrupted spaces within public areas to realise the architectural vision.
- Reduced installation costs of fire safety measures, including the use of unprotected steel structures, fire strategies based on smoke ventilation in lieu of sprinkler protection.
- Openness and integration of public facilities.
- Rationalisation of exits, in particular extended travel distances and a reduction in the number of dedicated fire exit paths.
- Strategy for evacuation of people with disabilities, including the use of lifts for evacuation and innovative use of ramps.
- Use of advanced modelling techniques to optimise all escape paths.
- Development of fire management strategies based consideration of the fact that exhibition centres are highly managed.