Safety Issues in Building Design to Cope with Extreme Events: Case Study of an Evacuation Process

Abstract

Improvements in building construction and services need to be supported by an efficient building layout design based on the interrelations of functions in the building, circulation, and occupant characteristics to mitigate the impacts of extreme events on people. Current building codes, standards, and regulations are of a static type, giving typical measurements of surface areas and dimensions based on either the number of occupants using a space or the objects to be housed within it. Building design requires support from dynamic data that reflect the interactions of people with the building space and other people. This paper summarizes the building design issues associated with emergencies and presents a case study conducted to capture dynamic data during a building evacuation process. The results of the case studies in this research showed that distance and familiarity with the exits were the two most significant factors in exit preference, and there is not an equally balanced use of exit doors during emergency evacuations.