Selection and Resource Allocation Model for Upgrading Fire Safety of Historic Buildings

Abstract

Fire safety constitutes an important component of cultural heritage protection since fire constitutes a major hazard for historic buildings. In the past many examples have been reported of where fire caused significant damage to priceless monuments of the world’s cultural heritage (e.g., Chiado area in Lisbon, Portugal, in 1988; Fenice Theatre in Venice, Italy, in 1996). A holistic approach to the preservation of historic buildings should include, among other things, a concern for suitable fire protection design. Such actions, however, are frequently subjected to stringent budget restrictions that confront designers with challenging trade-offs in their decision-making process. In this context, the current study provides an integrated scheme that embodies innovative tools for the solution of the budget allocation problem with respect to protecting historic buildings from fire. In particular, a generic selection and resource allocation model for updating the fire safety of historic buildings is proposed, along with an effective technique for efficiently solving the model for real-world test cases. Furthermore, the effectiveness of the model is presented for the case of the Mount Athos Monasteries, and results are discussed.