Safety in a Building - Research Proposal Example

Safety in a Building Name: Tutor: Course: Date: Literature Review Renovation project meetings or facility designers are facing a relatively new concept popping up during discussions regarding fire safety and it is about performance-based design. This phenomenon is now commonplace as facilities ingrain special features to attain aesthetic, functional and cost objectives while sustaining the safety levels for emergency responders and building occupants (Mowrer and Rosenbaum, 2008). Teams running the design work finding are realizing that performance-based design gives the flexibility to sustain safety by use of progressive design that may have been confined to strict enforcement of building code needs. The Australian Building Codes Board (2001) asserts that discipline of fire protection engineering is at least as old as the idea of performance-based fire protection design. In the mid-1800s, the first sprinkler systems were developed and were designed to fulfill the performance goals of automated fire suppression in buildings with the believe the said systems can be installed at favorable cost employing appropriate technology available then (Mowrer and Rosenbaum, 2008). Early sprinkler systems like many engineered systems were redesigned by way of trial and error in the hope of improving their efficiency, reliability and adverse loss experience. Therefore, fire safety systems use in buildings have similar development histories just as did other engineered systems. According to Mowrer and Rosenbaum (2008), the concept of performance-based design can be understood easily by beginning with the traditional prescriptive-based design and now to terrorism, earthquakes, fire and burglary. Typically, building codes prescribes particular criteria of design like number of feet to an exit and the number of exits. These are numeric criteria can be determined more easily. On the contrary, a performance-based code enables the utility of any design showing compliance with the fire safety objective of the code. The fire safety objectives are spelled out in the code explicitly as being procedures applied in order to show compliance. Analysis of fire scenarios is the basis of performance-based design in determining the various design alternatives that easily meet the fire safety objectives. The codes and standards on performance-based provisions are constituted in the can be found in the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1, Uniform Fire Code, International Fire Code (IFC), Building and Construction Code (NFPA 5000) and Life Safety Code (NFPA 101). In the recent past, performance-based provisions have been permitted though specifically recognized in code text. Before, typical performance-based approaches were considered as Equivalencies or Alternate Methods and Means. The Life Safety Code and the building codes have common egress needs and provide instances of prescriptive requirements Australian Building Codes Board 2001. The common egress limitation measures are maximum travel distance of a 300-foot in a fully sprinkle red office building as provided by NFPA 101. The International Building Code (IBC) stipulates that an occupant load of greater than 50 people must have two exits from assembly occupancy. According to NFPA 1, an occupant load greater than 500 people should have three exits for a floor area. International Organization for Standardization (1999) establishes that the variability coming across nowadays in construction features and methods may not be accounted by the prescriptive requirements of set numbers. The NFPA 101 prescriptive requirements stipulate that in an office building the travel distance of 299 feet, 11 inches is acceptable and not 300 feet, 1 inch. On the same account, IBC requires that one exit be allowed for a conference room having an occupant load of not more than 49 people. If an additional person is brought into the occupant load, two exits will be needed. In a floor exit scenario, these requirements demands extension for people between 500 and 501 as per NFPA 1 (Australian Building Codes Board 2001). Drawing upon standard construction methods and past loss history, prescriptive code needs are meant to include the majority of building situations and occupancies (Mowrer and Rosenbaum, 2008). Problem Statement Traditionally, the design of buildings was done in accordance with security and fire codes and prescriptive building. Rapid urbanization has given rise to increased commercial activities and urban population. This has led to increased in demand for complex and large buildings (Mowrer and Rosenbaum, 2008). Fire safety level as the standard enforced today is absent in buildings that were constructed in agreement with the old regulatory requirements. Given that all fire safety items are kept in the original design standard, it will be observed that any alteration works or upgrading to be undertaken in any existing building should comply with the requirements being enforced at the moment. The study looks at the increasing demand for the use of performance-based method for developing complex and large buildings with alteration works in historical or existing buildings. Objectives 1. To establish the level of awareness of New South Wales residents regarding safety requirements ingrained into buildings 2. To investigate the extent into which performance based fire design systems have been implemented by current developers and existing landlords. Hypothesis 1. Residents of New South Wales are not aware of building control regimes 2. Performance based fire design systems are not common in residential and commercial buildings in New South Wales. Research Design This study explores the relative merits of qualitative case study of New South Wales residents’ perception on safety of their buildings and quantitative survey research into performance based design buildings in New South Wales. The discussion on safety has been elicited in the previous literature on performance based design of buildings (Merton & Coleman, 1979). This brings about the cogent difference between the positivist (supposedly quantitative) approaches and interpretive (supposedly qualitative) in building safety research. The interpretive approach is based on collection of data and facts that is not only objective but publicly observable aspects of building occupants. The subjective meaning refers to the behavior the condition prefers on human subjects themselves. Lee (1991:350) notes that positivist approaches identifies the methods of natural science as truly scientific ones, while the interpretive approach maintains that people and their institutions demands methods alien to that of natural science (Phillips, 2001). Data was collected from occupants of residential and commercial buildings in New South Wales through participant questionnaires and in-depth interviews. The case study on New South Wales buildings brought out the understanding of building safety. Through descriptive and inferential statistics, the case study and survey provided the opportunity to probe insightful questions that harnesses richness of building occupants behavior, though the conclusions drawn could be particular to the New South Wales scenario studied thus not generalizable (Lee, 1991). Methodology Survey approach being largely deductive emphasizes quantitative analysis of building data for a number of premises that were collected through methods such as written interviews; self-administered questionnaires were analyzed using descriptive statistical techniques (Phillips, 2001). A representative sample of the buildings ensured that the survey approach sought to discover relationships in city buildings hence providing generalizable statements about the safety of buildings. The case study on New South Wales buildings compliance with safety requirements provides a "snapshot" into the circumstance at a certain point in time, hence giving little information on the basic meaning of the data. The study used multi stage sampling to identify the building that was incorporated into the sample in which the caretakers were administered with questionnaires (Merton & Coleman, 1979). Purposive sampling was also used to administer interviews to the few contractors in the city while convenience sampling was used to obtain data from the occupants of both commercial and residential building. Statistical Treatment This study presented a brief comparison on the application of performance-based fire safety design in three New South Wales locations; Glendale, Suffolk and Tucks. 10 buildings were investigated and presented. A total of 23 questionnaires were administered to landlords/caretakers, occupants and contractors. The set of questionnaires given to all the respondents were similar, moderated through a research panel at the university and piloted for reliability. The hypothesis was tested based on p=0.05 and observed that occupants in commercial and residential buildings in New South Wales were cognizant of safety requirements. It was also established that many building constructed in the last ten years have performance based design of security systems. Findings/Results The results show that 56% of the buildings investigated were residential while 44% were commercial. It was obtained that the magnitude of security is largely to fire; 0.57, burglary; 0.25, terrorism; 0.12; earthquakes; 0.06. 87% of the respondents were confident that the buildings lacking performance based building security features will be installed in due time. Many were optimistic that buildings adopting security systems like fire are based on performance design in the current constructions are largely informed by Function; 0.67, Cost; 0.23 and Aesthetic reasons; 0.10. The building planning and inspection department of New South Wales are done every two years according to the opinion of the contractors. The occupants/landlords and contractors agreed that the buildings were safe and secure; t=1.232 where p=0.05. Similar case applied to the popularity of performance based design in building safety; t=1.542, at p=0.05. The findings finally showed that evacuation drills are carried out every year; 65% showing that people are regularly kept aware of their safety while using the building. Analysis From the findings above, many of the city buildings requiring close scrutiny are both commercial and residential. The major concern of contractors and developers is increasing the level of building safety through security is largely to fire. Other concerns are burglary, terrorism and earthquakes. It was found that that the buildings lacking performance based building security features were to be installed in a near future time. Residents are optimistic that buildings adopting security systems like fire are based on performance design in the current constructions are largely informed by function, followed by cost and also aesthetic reasons. The building planning and inspection department of New South Wales are done every two years to check new changes and development in current state of buildings. The occupants/landlords and contractors are confident of buildings level of safety and security. The popularity of performance based design in building safety is quite high. The findings shows that evacuation drills are carried out every year and that people are regularly kept aware of their safety while using the building. Discussion Many commercial and residential buildings in the state of New South Wales require close inspection since it was the major concern of contractors and developers to improve the level of building safety. Safety of the building was found to revolve around fire system installation and testing. The residents were also concerned about burglary, terrorism and earthquakes. There is a great desire by the New South Wales government to ensure that buildings lacking performance based building security features must be installed in the near future time. Residents are optimistic that buildings adopting security systems like fire are based on performance design in the current constructions are largely informed by function, followed by cost and also aesthetic reasons (Mowrer and Rosenbaum, 2008). The building planning and inspection department of New South Wales are done every two years to check new changes and development in current state of buildings. The stakeholders in building safety are confident of buildings level of security and safety as the popularity of performance based designs ranks high. Evacuation drills carried out regularly keeps people aware of their safety while using the building. Summary and Conclusions The design of buildings should be done in compliance with security and fire codes and prescriptive building to ensure lives of occupants are preserved and sustain security in the increasing demand for complex and large buildings. Fire safety level and other security systems should be enforced strictly as the standard in buildings. Each building must be constructed in agreement with the old regulatory requirements (Mowrer and Rosenbaum, 2008). Fire safety items kept in the original design standard should conform to the alteration works or upgrading to be undertaken in any existing building should comply with the requirements being enforced at the moment. Therefore performance-based method for developing complex and large buildings with alteration works in historical or existing buildings should be exercised to guarantee safety of occupants. Recommendation for further investigations The vulnerabilities in building security systems and how to mitigate in high rise commercial buildings References Australian Building Codes Board, (2001). Fire Engineering Guidelines, published by the Fire Code Reform Centre in Australia in 1996 and the Fire Safety Engineering Guidelines. International Organization for Standardization, (1999). Fire Safety Engineering-Parts 1 through 8, ISO/TR 13387, published by the in Geneva, Switzerland. Lee, A. S. (1991). Integrating Positivist and Interpretive Approaches to Organizational Research. Organization Science (2:4), November, pp.342-365. Merton, R. K., & Coleman, J. S. (1979). Qualitative and Quantitative Social Research: Papers in Honour of Pual F. Lazerfeld, New York: Free Press. Mowrer, F. W. & Rosenbaum, E. R. (2008). Overview of performance based fire protection design, Fire protection Handbook, Vol 1. Phillips, B. (2001). Social Research, Strategy and Tactics. 2nd ed., New York: The Macmillan Company. Building Security Conventions Building and Construction Code (NFPA 5000) Life Safety Code (NFPA 101). National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 1, Uniform Fire Code, International Fire Code (IFC), Appendix i) Survey Questionnaire 1. State your relationship with the building? Landlord/caretaker Occupant Contractor 2. What kind of building have you dealt or lived in? Commercial Residential 3. What safety security apparatus ingrained in the building you live or built? Fire Burglary Terrorism Earthquakes 5. If the building did not have performance based design in security systems, do you think there are efforts to install them? No Yes 6. How frequent do the department of planning and housing come over to inspect the building? Never Once in 5 years Every 2 years Yearly 7. Why are buildings adopting security systems like fire are based on performance design in the current constructions? Aesthetic reasons Function Cost 8. Are you satisfied with the level of safety building safety witnessed in the building? Very dissatisfied Dissatisfied Neutral Satisfied Very Dissatisfied 9. How regular are fire drills/evacuation procedures done in the building? Never been done Once in 5 years Once in two years Annually 10. Do you agree that performance based approach to security systems in buildings? Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Disagree ii) Interviews (to contractors) 1. Do constructions in New South Wales conform to the International Building Code, Life Safety Code and the Australian Building and Construction Code? 2. What are the merits of using performance based approaches in fire systems in the building? 3. What is the opinion of government in terms of investing in building approaches using performance based systems? 4. What building security systems are in place in most buildings? Read More