http://www.nfpa.org/publicJournalDetail.asp?categoryID=1418&itemID=33178&src=NFPAJournalNFPA Journal
Burj Dubai: Innovations in Crisis Response Planning
NFPA Journal, March/April 2007
By James Antell, P.E., Jon Evenson, and Aaron F. Vanney
Burj Dubai, currently being constructed in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is slated for completion in 2009, and it is on its way to becoming the world’s tallest tower. With the design calling for
more than 150 floors, having a well-defined Crisis Response Plan and innovative designs that assist in evacuating people from the building are two proactive approaches the building management is taking to create a sound plan to respond to crises.
http://www.nfpa.org/assets/images//journal/MA07/burj_dubai_426.jpgThe Burj Dubai
An artist rendering of the Burj Dubai skyscaper.
http://www.nfpa.org/assets/images///journal/MA07/burj_dubai_plans_700.jpg A cross-section plan from the firm Skidmore, Owings & Merrill
Burj Dubai is now
347.3 meters (1,139.4 feet) high, and in January the iconic tower, being built by Emaar Properties, joined the league of only six super-tall buildings in the world that are 100 or more stories high. Sears Tower in Chicago (110 floors), Ryugyong Hotel in North Korea (105), Empire State Building in New York (102), Taipei 101 (101), and John Hancock Center in Chicago (100) are the only other structures in the world that are currently at 100 stories or more.
In addition, Burj Dubai is one of only 38 structures in the world that are 300 meters or more high. It is now higher than three other super-tall structures in the region—the Burj Al Arab (321 meters/1,053 feet), Emirates Towers Hotel (309 meters/1,013 feet), and Kingdom Centre, Saudi Arabia (302 meters/990 feet). Currently, only Emirates Office Tower (355 meters/1,164 feet) is taller than Burj Dubai in the Middle East region.
Designed by Chicago-based Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM), Burj Dubai is constructed by high-rise experts South Korea’s Samsung Corporation. Turner Construction International is the project and construction manager. The RJA Group is providing fire and security guidance.
To date, 242,000 cubic meters of reinforced concrete and 46,000 tons of reinforcing steel have been used in the construction of Burj Dubai. The reinforced concrete needed to build Burj Dubai is estimated to be equivalent to a sidewalk 1,900 kilometers (1,180 miles) long.
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Building safety features
The building incorporates life safety features that are beyond the code-required minimum to assist the building staff in implementing the appropriate crisis response.
When an event is reported in a high-rise structure, it is critical to notify occupants who may be vulnerable. The base strategy for Burj Dubai is to automatically notify occupants in the fire compartment of alarm and adjacent compartments through the emergency voice/alarm communication system. Burj Dubai also features a “Home Automation System” consisting of LCD panels capable of displaying detailed emergency information to selectable groups of building occupants. These displays are located in key locations, ranging from individual dwelling units to areas of refuge.
Like many high-rise structures, the tower utilizes a defend-in-place strategy for localized events as recommended in the NFPA 101®, Life Safety Code® and NFPA 5000TM , Building Construction and Safety CodeTM . Occupants remote from the fire are directed to maintain their position, and occupants in proximity to the fire are directed to proceed down the stair enclosures to the nearest area of refuge and await further instruction from trained staff or the “Home Automation System” displays. The areas of refuge are separated from the remainder of the building by 2-hour fire resistance rated construction and are pressurized to minimize the migration of smoke into the compartment.
While the tower design is based on a defend-in-place strategy, it is a possibility that an escalated event may require a full building evacuation. To assist in evacuating occupants, designated elevators feature a “lifeboat evacuation” mode, allowing fire brigade personnel or trained staff to transport occupants from upper portions of the tower to designated discharge levels. The designated elevators include full operating capability on primary and emergency power, water resistant equipment, means for visual inspection of elevator shaft construction before elevator-assisted evacuation, and raised elevator door thresholds at each floor opening to minimize the flow of sprinkler water into the shafts.
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