Designs Solutions with the Architect and Building Control Officer - Assignment Example

Outline Subtopic Page Introduction: 2 Assignment Point One: Outcome 1 & 5: 2-3 Assignment Point Two: Covering Learning Outcomes 2: 4-5 Assignment Point Three: Covering Learning Outcomes 3: 5-8 Assignment Point Four: Covering Learning Outcomes 4: 8-11 Conclusion: 11 List of References: 12 Fire Protection Introduction The following paper will talk about The Lowry building in Salford after the meeting with the company’s architects, building control officer and site manager and the aim of the meeting was to discuss fire protection issues within the premises of the building. During the discussion, the tasks that were covered were safety designs solutions with the architect and building control officer, identification of passive and active fire protection systems within the premises, appraisal of different types of fixed fire fighting installations within the premises and the access of building construction materials and impact of heat on the structure and finally the access of building codes and approved documents used in the design and construction of the premises. Assignment Point One: Outcome 1 & 5 The Lowry building from the outside is a triangular shaped building that stands on huge concrete piles within bedrock, made from lots of concrete, steel and glass (‘The Building,’ 2010). It also has an appearance that is ship-like especially when seen from over the canal. The windows appear to have potholes and the building also has landings and stairways resembling ships’ gangways. The Lowry also has geometric shapes like the hexagon, triangle, circle and rectangle. The promenade surrounds the building and it intends to give access to all the parts present in the building. In addition to that, the spaces are made in such a way that they look like onions and the decoration of bright colors resemble the architecture of Michael Wilford. First of all, the skin of stainless steel and cool glass in the outside intend to reflect the water and the sky. Also, the floor has blue terrazzo with silvery lines which look like latitude and longitude lines on a map. The building is actually designed in such a way that it reflects the landscapes that surround it and the metallic surface and glass also reflect the flourishing water ways. Its layout encourages visitors to enjoy and explore several facilities within it, throughout the day. The gallery spaces and theater foyers are joined by an open route that contains dramatic views, hence forming a public walk-way in the building that links all the activities. It is clear that the building is a destination for the public since it offers exciting venues for education, creativity and recreation. In addition to that, there are bars, restaurants and cafes that are situated on the building’s southern side. The design guides that were used for the Lowry were the Architectural Fire Safety design guide, the LPC design guide, the Regulatory Reform Order, and the ASFP Yellow Book. These are among the design guides that are normally used in buildings with others including the code of practice for fire safety in the design, construction and use of buildings, the British fire resistance test standards and BRE publications. Fire engineering solutions and risk assessments are also important for the Lowry building. A risk assessment is also crucial in finding out the extent to which fire may spread to other premises in the surroundings and whether it would be a risk to the people within and without the building (‘LPC Design Guide,’2010). The results of the risk assessment should hence be taken into account and reliable fire safety measures be considered. In addition to that, risk assessment and development of strategic approaches to fire safety measures results in more sympathetic solutions (BRE, 2010). Assignment Point 2 – Covering Learning Outcomes 2 Non-combustible construction such as fire resistant walls aims to contain the fire in the section that the fire started. An insulating media is painted on a surface and this method is common in places where water is inadequate especially in remote locations. Other forms of passive fire protection include the protection of cables from burning in the event of fire. Fire walls are normally made of brick, masonry or concrete and their opening size needs to be limited at minimum. A form of passive protection in the Lowry building is the enclosure of the staircase that leads to points of final escape and providing fire doors on passageways. It is important to ensure that the building materials such as masonry and concrete are able to resist fire for a minimum of thirty minutes. Active fire protection systems like water sprinkler are used in Lowry and are also common in process industries in order to protect storage vessels, loading installations, warehouses and warehouse. Fire extinguishers are also a form of active fire protection and its aim is to put off fires that have not spread to larger areas. These kinds of extinguishers are used to put off specific fires by forming a blanket over the fire. An automatic smoke alarm will also go off in the event of fire when the predetermined temperature is reached. Emergency exits also provide a means for escape to safer areas while emergency lighting goes off in case of sudden fire (‘Active / Passive,’ 2010). The diagram below is an example of an active fire protection system, the water sprinkler Source: ‘Active/ Passive,’ 2010 In addition, automatic fire detection uses instruments that are sensitive to temperature change through detection of surrounding atmosphere. Ventilators have also been known to spread fire and measures have been put in place in order to prevent this from happening. Assignment 3- Covering Learning Outcomes 3 The fixed fire installations used in Lowry are the Sprinkler system covering the stage, back stage area and service areas and automatic suppression systems found in the commercial kitchen. The sprinkler system is a type of active fire protection that consists of water supply systems that provides adequate pressure with a flow rate to distribution piping systems of water where the fire sprinklers connect. The Automatic fire suppression systems, also present in the commercial kitchen of the Lowry, operate without the intervention of humans and thus it has to have a way of detection and delivery. This detection is achieved by either electrical or mechanical means. The mechanical detection utilizes detectors that are sensitive to specific temperature while electrical detection utilizes heat detectors which close whenever the predetermined temperature is arrived at. The sprinkler has several component parts and it operates with the help of these parts. The closed-head sprinkler is a type of this system component parts that are closed by a two-part link of metal or by a glass bulb that is heat sensitive with a fusible alloy (‘Department for Communities,’ 2010). The link or glass bulb applies pressure to the component called a pip cap which functions as a plug that keeps water from flowing until the surrounding temperature of the sprinkler is above the temperature that was designed for the system. The sprinkler system of a standard wet-pipe has individual sprinklers that activate independently when the heat level designed for the system is reached. Due to this, the sprinklers that work is limited to the people near the fire thus maximizing the pressure of water that is available over the fire origin. The sprinkler systems are made in such a way that they can either suppress or control the fire. The control mode intend to control the rate at which heat is released in order to prevent the building structure form collapsing and it also pre-wets the combustibles in the surrounding area so that the fire is prevented from spreading. The suppression sprinklers intend to result in a severe and sudden reduction of the rate at which heat is released from the fire and this is followed by a quick extinguishment of fire before manual intervention from the fire department. The wet pipe type of sprinkler system is installed in many buildings than other types of sprinkler systems. They are reliable due to their simplicity with automatic alarm and automatic sprinklers being the only components that operate. There exists an automatic supply of water that provides pressure to the pipes of the system. This system operates in such a way that when the automatic sprinkler is open for some time to temperature that is above rating, the element that is heat sensitive such as the fusible link or glass bulb is released thus allowing the flow of water from the sprinkler. Below is a diagram showing wet pipe system design Source: Forest, 2009 A dry riser is a vertical pipe that works by distributing water to several levels present in a structure or building and this type of suppression system is present in the staircases of Lowry which are fire resistant. The pipe is usually without water unlike the wet systems that require a continuous supply of water. The dry pipe fire sprinkler system has pressurized air pipes instead of water. The air has a remote valve referred to as dry pipe valve in a position that is closed. Since the dry-pipe valve is found in a heated space, it prevents the entry of water to the pipe until a case of fire will result in either one or many sprinklers to start operating. After this has happened, the pressurized air gets an avenue to escape and the result is the release of dry pipe valve. Hence, water comes into the pipe and flows through the open sprinklers into the fire. The design was installed in the building so that flow tests could be carried out and exact conditions for fire fighters to reproduce during a fire incident would be created. Assignment point 4 - Covering Learning Outcomes 4 Risk assessment is part of fire safety reviews of the building and it is used to identify the degree at which a risk is posed to both property and life. The assessment also considers the requirements of occupants which may affect the fire strategy. After the risk has been identifies and quantified, the fire safety design is required to be designed. The Lowry building materials consists of concrete, glass, timber, steel and masonry. Each of these materials has their own degree of burning when affected by fire. The following table shows the thermal properties of construction materials. Material Density (kg/m3) Thermal Conductivity (W/Mk) Specific Heat Capacity (J/kgK) Concrete block 2300 1.63 1000 Timber Flooring 650 0.14 1200 Glass Fiber slab 25 0.035 1000 Wood blocks 650 0.14 1200 Source: Forrest, 2009 Glass is a super cooled liquid that has an amorphous property and this is what makes it react to heat in a different manner as compared to other materials. As metals change from solid to liquid quickly on exposure to heat, glass takes a long period of transformation and on maximum heat it resembles a semi-liquid material. Actually, as glass is heated, it begins to have similarities to a liquid until and will start flowing easily at 1093 C (‘Means of Escape,’ 2010). When glass is heated suddenly or too quickly, it shatters because it is always cooler as compared to the surrounding temperature. Thus in case glass is exposed to high temperatures, it can be brought to raid cooling using fire fighting materials. The fire fighting crew together with the owners of buildings or architects need to understand these properties so that they may know how to handle the material in case of fire. Buildings made of steel have been seen to withstand very high temperatures in the case of fire outbreaks. Steel will begin to lose 90 percent of its strength at temperatures that are above 800° C (Forrest, 2009). Even in this temperature, steel does no disintegrate into rubble. In case a building or part of a building that is made of steel does not collapse as a result of very high temperatures, then the collapse remains in the area that experiences high temperatures. The low-carbon steel that is common in buildings only bends in high temperatures instead of shattering. There is no case whereby a structure made of steel has crumbled to several pieces due to overheating apart from the Twin Towers building. Timber is an organic material that is naturally occurring and its physical properties are based on color, texture, hardness, density and grain. The thermal property of timber material is insulation due to the air pockets in its cellular structure. This makes it a barrier to cold and heat. In addition to that, the air spaces found between the building elements are advantageous when the thermal resistance assemblies for building are being determined. Another advantage of timber especially in construction is that it can be used as an additional material for insulation without necessarily increasing the thickness of the wall, roof, ceiling or floor. Its resistance to fire is also influenced by its density and the type of extractives present in the timber. Such properties can be enhanced by treatments like the application of pressure of fire retardants. Concrete is a type of construction material that is made up of cement and other materials related to cement such as slag cement and limestone. After concrete is mixed with placement and water, it hardens as a result of hydration since the water reacts with cement. Buildings constructed from concrete resist fire that those which are constructed from steel frames or wood. Concrete does not burn and it also stops fire from spreading by offering fire protection for the people within the building and property. This building material also reduces the risks associated with structural collapse and is also an effective shield from fire. Thus, it provides a safe means of escape for inhabitants and a protection for the firefighting crew. In addition to that, it does not release smoke, toxic gases or molten particles capable of spreading fire. Moreover, neither heat nor water used for fire extinguishing affects the concrete floors or walls thus making it easy to repair after a fire. Insulating Concrete Forms (ICF) are hollow panels or blocks that is made of insulating forms that are fire-proof and is reinforced with concrete in order to protect the structure (‘Practical Fire Safety, 2008’). Hence, concrete provides firm compartmentalization in buildings so that fire in a section of the building does not spread to other sections. The common materials used in masonry are stone, brick, granite, limestone, glass block and concrete block. In that regard, masonry means building structures from single units laid and compacted together using mortar. It is considered to be a durable form of construction. Concrete block and brick are the common types of this technique of constructing buildings. They provide compressive strength and filling cores with concrete or steel will ensure that the structure attains lateral and tensile strength. Hence, the use of such materials together with stone and brick during the construction of buildings will result in increased thermal mass of a structure thus giving more comfort especially in hot seasons. Since it is can also be made from fire-resistant materials such as concrete, then this increases its chances from collapsing in case of fire. Conclusion The protection of a building from fire is important both to the owners of the building, the employees and the surrounding community. It has been shown that the Lowry building has taken fire protection steps such as the use of active and passive fire protection systems so that it may be on the safe side in case of a fire outbreak. List of References Active / Passive Fire Protection, 2010. Health and Safety Executive. Available at: http://www.hse.gov.uk/comah/sragtech/techmeasfire.htm [Accessed 3 May 2010] Basic Means of Escape From Fire, 2010. The Fire Safety Advice Center. Available at: http://www.firesafe.org.uk/html/guides/basicmoe.htm [Accessed 3 May 2010] BRE, 2010. Fire Resistance Testing. Available at: http://www.bre.co.uk/page.jsp?id=285 [Accessed 3 May 2010] Department for Communities and Local Government, 2010. Fire Safety – Risk Assessment. Available at: http://www.firesafetyguides.co.uk/ [Accessed 3 May 2010] Forrest, R. 2009. Strategic Fire Protection in Historic Buildings. Available at: http://www.buildingconservation.com/articles/fire/fire.htm [Accessed 3 May 2010] LPC Design Guide, 2010. LPC Design Guide Key Points. Available at: http://www.rockwool.co.uk/fire/regulations/lpc+design+guide [Accessed 3 May 2010] Practical Fire Safety Guidance for Offices, Shops and Similar Premises, (2008). Available at: http://www.infoscotland.com/firelaw/files/OSG-index.html [Accessed 3 May 2010] The Building, 2010. The Lowry Art and Entertainment. Available at: http://www.thelowry.com/about-the-lowry/ [Accessed 3 May 2010]. Read More