unfortunately lost his life and the incident led to charges of negligence being levied against the owners, developers, occupiers, secretary, chairman and manager of the building. Another Mumbai tragedy occurred in June 2013. 4 people were killed and 13 seriously injured when fire swept through the 14 storey IndusInd Bank building. The most common cause of death in a fire is though smoke inhalation rather than the flames themselves. Suffocation from smoke and noxious gasses account for more than 80 per cent of fatalities. Smoke travels at up to 130 metres every minute and whilst most people can easily move at this rate in normal circumstances, the majority of survivors of fires stated that smoke restricted their ability to see to no more than 4 metres. The majority of fatalities happen to people who were not in the room where the fire originated. In 1996 a fire in Dusseldorf airport² terminal building led to 7 people dying from the inhalation of noxious gasses. They were all in a VIP lounge some 400 metres from the seat of the fire and were not even aware that the fire had occurred. The smoke had travelled along ventilation ducts from the terminal to the lounge. In all, 17 people died in the airport fire. A key area of concern when it comes to fire and smoke
Fire at Lotus Business Park in Mumbai
spread is the gap maintained between a building slab edge and a façade designed to accommodate the movement of the structure. The perimeter barrier firestop systems required in cladding systems vary dependant on the façade type. In a curtain wall system the perimeter barrier sits behind the façade, between the edge of the building slab and the façade itself. Its purpose is to act as a continuation of the floor slab right up to the façade whilst allowing for dynamic movement that can be caused by a number of differing factors. Typically the taller the building, the more movement will need to be accommodated. The installation of a perimeter barrier that cannot cope with the continual stresses imposed by positive and negative wind loads will eventually lead to a breakdown in the fire compartmentation measures designed to prevent the passage of flames and noxious gasses from one floor to the next. The use of incorrect materials such as glass wool
being used as firestops can also lead to unnecessary fire spread. Glass wool has a melting point of 680° and so will not perform when an average fire reaches the peak temperatures of between 900° and 1200°. Sprinklers are a vital component in restricting fires in tall buildings. However, they should not be seen as an alternative to adequate passive fire protection measures. Sprinklers often fail to fully extinguish a fire but will stop breakout through glazing components. In these circumstances, a rapid increase in pressure occurs and smoke is then forced under pressure through any gaps. The passive firestops tend to be even more critical in protecting lives and property in these circumstances. So what are the Key Considerations when Designing the Perimeter Barrier and Firestop Requirement? • The product should be tested to a recognised test standard
1. NFPA data, 2. Wikipedia, 3. NDTV article
l Jan - Feb 2016 WFM 53 l