Engineering Design Practice - Term Paper Example

Engineering Design Practice Author’s Name: Professor’s Name: Course Name and Number: Date Submitted: Engineering Design Practice Introduction Fire accidents are responsible for a number of losses in the United Kingdom. The threat posed by fire outbreak is so enormous such that the university is putting a lot of emphasis on not only curbing the initiation of fire but also mitigating against the dire impact of any occurrence. The university management underscores the long-term effects of a single fire outbreak. On top of causing very expensive losses in the form of property damage, fire accidents are a threat to the occupants. It being a lecture theatre, the expectation is that the occupants of the proposed structure will be a substantial number of people at all times. The fire safety measures inherent in the lecture theatre master plan aims at giving both lecturers and students sufficient confidence over their occupancy. Fire safety analysis of the proposed lecture theatre The decision by the university to convert the current fire laboratory to lecture theatre was approved and is at the advance stage of effecting the conversion. As part of the compliance process, all the necessary requirements have been complied with including fire safety expectations. The proposed new structure is going to comply with not only functional requirements stipulated in the Building Regulations 2000 but also other innovative schedules designed to provide revolutionary safety assurance. This report provides a detailed fire safety measures inherent in the proposed structure. At the end of this report, several aspects of fire safety must be captured. These include mechanisms of handling fire cases in terms of warning facilities and escape routes and procedures. Secondly, ways of curbing potential fire spreads within and outside the structure (Purkiss 2007, p. 17). Finally, a detailed procedure and means of accessing the intervention of fire services is expounded. Warning and Escape The proposed conversion has an elaborate warning and escape procedure. This portrays a proactive approach of mitigating the impact of fire outbreak. These facilities are useful in prevention of further damage to property and injury. The warning and escape procedures proposed in this conversion ensures that there is a satisfactory way of issuing alarms of fire outbreak and conforming channels of escape by persons at the event that fire breaks out in the lecture theatre. The design team allocated substantial level of efforts in alarm systems. These encompass both audio and visual alarm gadgets to be strategically located in the lecture hall. The audio alarm systems gather for individuals who in the event of fire outbreak, cannot be able to see the point from which fire is emanating from. It will also alert occupants who are suitably positioned to fight the fire using available facilities like fire extinguisher cans and hydrants. In addition to this audio alarm system, there are visual notifications through suitably positioned sirens (Stationary Office 2007, p. 24). The reliability of these gadgets is ascertained by the fact that they can be actuated by either manual intervention or signals relayed from smoke detectors. Smoke detectors are going to be positioned on the susceptible-wind paths. Consequently, a thorough study of geographic orientation of the site has been done thus paving the way for accurate location of smoke detectors. Another notable feature on fire alarm system is the integration of intelligent technology. Intelligent Fire Alarm System is part of this mechanism. The mechanism deviates from conventional techniques of detecting fire. It appreciates the fact that fire outbreak is easily managed should it be detected at its foundational stages. The system to be used in the new lecture theatre has the ability of detecting fire using lead indicators such as smoke intensity and temperature. At the event that the system detects excessive level of these parameters, suitable relays are conveyed to the intervention mechanisms characterized by sprinklers and sirens. Intelligent detectors to be incorporated in the conversion meet the criteria postulated by conventional detectors. Therefore, when an intelligent detector attains the alarm threshold postulated by conventional detectors, it should initiate an alarm signal in the form of audio or visual notification. Such measures create a possibility of occupants in any part of the structure to escape safely without necessarily having to seek external intervention in case of an emergency. However, it does not neglect the need of having external assistance. The proposed structure is going to have an easily accessible escape route in case of fire outbreak. Many efforts have been put to gather for the requirements postulated in the Building Regulations 2000. The conversion is going to incorporate a number of alternative escape routes for both students and lecturers located at any part of the hall during the fire outbreak. The first measure to be incorporated in the design is the use of wide doors for normal use. Before resorting to emergency exit, there is a high probability that the occupants of the lecture theatre will first consider using the usual exit points. Consequently, the usual entrance points are wide enough to accommodate an average of twenty persons at a single exit. These doors are intended to give a direct escape to a safe place in the occurrence of an emergency (Billington, Ferguson, and Copping 2002, p. 32). Furthermore, the conversion will gather for circumstances where direct escape from normal routes is not possible. Bearing in mind the fact that high occupants turn out is likely to be witnessed at any given time of lecture, sufficient indirect escape routes have been considered for incorporation. Protected stairways are strategically positioned to allow easy access at any given time. The farthest an occupant can travel to the protected stairways in the time of emergency is five meters. The stairways are going to be constructed at a constant interval of ten meters. In addition to these protected stairways, there will be protected corridors to be located at the rear side of the hall. The corridors have been incorporated to accommodate person who cannot utilize the stairways. This includes but not limited to persons on wheelchairs and those using walking sticks (Stationary Office 2007, p. 34). Sufficient lighting and ventilation are going to be provided in the escape route to counter the effects of fire and smoke. Horizontal escape is gathered for by protected corridors while vertical escape in provide by the use of protected stairways. The doors on the escape routes are going to be readily open able towards outside. Therefore, not all the doors on the escape routes shall be fitted with latch or bolt, locks or other firm fastenings. To enhance the security of the lecture hall, these fastenings are operable with a key from outside and from inside by a mere turning of a knob. Subsidiary guide are going to be provided to the occupants of the lecture theatre by suitably located signage. The conventional escape route signs are to be located at all possible escape routes. Secondly, continuous education on the use of evacuation procedures is to be periodically communicated to students at the beginning of every session. This will curb the possibility of unconventional procedures like using elevators and lifts during the emergencies. At no pint can occupants be allowed to use lifts during emergency. Internal Fire Spreads – Linings Although it may not be possible to absolutely prevent the initiation of fire, it may become probable to curb the spread of an already existing fire. Fire is initiated and propagated by the presence of three elements namely; fuel, oxygen and heat. Since it may become impossible to control the abundant supply of oxygen and heat, retracting or eliminating fuel supply may be the best approach of curbing fire spread. It is important to make sure that the materials used in construction do not support the initiation and propagation of fire. The provisions of Building Regulations 2000 in which the university in tends to comply with in the conversion of are clear on the prevention of internal fire spreads. The requirements postulate that internal linings of any building must be adequately able to curtail further propagation of flame in their surfaces (Stationary Office 2007, p. 67). Secondly, the linings must have a reasonable rate of fire growth and heat release. This provisions trickles down to the material selection phase. Whenever possible, the lecture theatre will be partitioned and roofed using steel and concrete structures. The use of steel and concrete structure is informed by the fact that heat release and fire growth in these materials is considerably reasonable. On the other hand, the walls in which primary materials are steel and concrete will be finished with water-based paints to ensure that chances of fire growth and heat release are considerably minimized. The only point in which timber products may be permitted is in the ceiling. Internal Fire Spreads – Structure The conversion has also considered the importance of having a robust structure to carry the building’s load even at the time of the fire. The use of concrete structures reinforced by structural steel will ensure that the lecture hall will remain stable even if the fire breaks out. This is because steel does not yield to the heat loads easily. The areas of particular concerns in the prevention of internal fire spread are the roofing that is going to be entirely by steel. Another structural feature of the proposed lecture theatre that cannot be neglected when it comes to prevention of internal fire spreads is the furniture. The lecture hall that is designed to carry seventy students at any given time shall have at least eighty seats. To avoid chances of vulnerability, all these chairs shall be constructed from integration of both plastic and metal parts. This selection of designed is informed by two parameters namely: cost efficiency and their ability to prevent fire initiation and growth. Suitable compartmentation is ensured by the use of wide window around the lecture hall. The windows shall provide a default segmentation of the walls at regular intervals. Compartmentation is of paramount importance because the fire spread shall not spread beyond the subsequent window because there will be a discontinuity in the ‘fuel’. External Fire Spreads As much as the safety of the occupants and property damage preventions are of primary concern, prevention of fire spread to the neighboring buildings is equally important. Consequently, the external walls of the lecture theatre shall be constructed in such a way that the fire can hardly spread over the walls to the next buildings. Secondly, the suitable positioning of the roofs prevents the possibility of fire spreading across the roof. Access and Facilities for the Fire Services The conversion of the fire laboratory to lecture theatre will consider the possibility of providing reasonable to help fire fighters in the execution of their duties. Secondly, the new building shall be constructed such that fire appliances can get in to the building without much hustle. These measures will ensure that mitigation efforts aimed at preventing further loss of life and damage of property does not occur. Consequently, great emphasis has been put on customized selection and design of structural framework to help in protecting life to by assisting rescue service and fire fighters. First, all roads leading to the new building are passable, at all times, to enable ease of access by a large truck carrying rescue personnel and fire appliances. Being a lecture hall a good number of occupants is expected at all times. Consequently, an increase in the number of vehicles visiting the building at any given time is likely to escalate. Due to this possible upsurge in the number of automobiles visiting the site, ample parking facility shall be provided to avoid haphazard parking, which may hamper accessibility efforts. The parking capacity of the building proposed in this conversion is standing at a maximum of hundred vehicles at a go and with a possibility of expansion in the future. Provision of ample parking facility enhances the chances of easy access by firefighting equipment by the county personnel because no vehicle is expected to be parked at the passage. Suitably designed passage ways is going to ensure that fire rescue services vehicle will turn easily at the event of an emergency. Such design will allow the rescue services vehicle to be reversed less than 20 meters from where the access road ends. Secondly, a central point has been located to be fire assembly point such that rescue personnel will find it easy to carry out an audit of possible searches in the building. Rescue personnel are going to operate from there. The third facility available to the rescue team in this conversion is the installation of fire mains in the building. In order to ensure sufficient preparedness, fire mains must be installed encompass both dry and wet types. The dry mains shall have their hose ends located at the parking and rear exit such that the fire and rescue services pumping facilities can connect their supplies with much ease. On the other hand, wet type mains shall be located at every 20 meters interval starting at the main entrance. Actuation of wet mains valves is automated with a signal relayed from fire detection mechanisms explained earlier. Conclusion With a close reference to the provisions of Building Regulations 2000, the conversion of current fire laboratory in to a lecture hall has met the minimum fire safety requirements. Starting from proactive approach to reactive one, the new structure is prepared to react against any accidental fire outbreak (Purkiss 2007, p. 4). The figure below is a schematic representation of the new lecture theatre with fire safety facilities indicated. Firefighting equipment (Water Mains, Powder and Carbon dioxide) Reference List Billington, M.J., Ferguson, A. & Copping, A., 2002, Means of Escape from Fire, Blackwell Publishing Company, Oxford, UK. Purkiss, JA, 2007, Fire Safety Engineering Design of Structures, Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK. Stationary Office, 2007, The Building Regulations 2000: Approved Document B, The Stationary Office, London. Read More