SMOKE CONTROL SYSTEM IN SHOPPING CENTER ATRIUM

Abstract

The large atrium of shopping centers serves as a focal point for shopper, to allow free visual and physical access to other areas of the building. For this reason, they usually have high occupant loads. In the event of a fire, smoke produced can obscure visibility and cause asphyxiation which hamper one’s ability to escape. With each level opening into the atrium, smoke can spread extensively throughout the rest of the shopping center, thereby affecting escape routes. This dissertation addressed the major aspect of fire safety that is smoke control by assessing the several physical phenomena governing the spread of smoke in a building i.e. stack effect, fire-induced buoyancy, wind effect and expansion. Other then external climatic conditions, smoke movement is also influenced by the building design in the atrium. Fire located in various areas of the shopping center atrium is affected by the local geometry setting which resulted in different spill plumes is also studied in this dissertation. Moreover, this dissertation will also demonstrate how smoke control system can in fact be put together in a systematic and efficient way to address safety issues through usage of case studies and other reports. On top of that, a possible approach in addressing the long debated problem on sprinkler’s cooling effect on smoke layer will be presented. Finally, it is illustrated and shown that building layout and activities in the shopping center have a great influence on the smoke control strategy that is unique to every building.