Role of Façade & Fenestration in Fire Safety

Products to use in buildings for fire safety

To mitigate the fire safety concerns, one should understand the ancient structures built with different kinds of materials and the building design as they did. In our era, we have more options in material selection and to use in building construction. Then too we are facing more challenges of fire accidents every year.

At the same time, one should also use good quality reusable products as per standards which are eco-friendly, just like glass and aluminium, etc. One should also strictly follow the safety norms given under NBC (National Building Code) 2016. To reduce the cost of construction one should not compromise on the quality of products. Government should take initiative and strictly define the fire safety product that must be used in all kinds of building structures in urban as well as rural areas too.

Fire escape shall be constructed of noncombustible materials. The combustible/ flammable material shall not be used for partitioning, wall panelling, false ceiling etc. Any material giving out toxic gases/ smoke if involved in the fire shall not be used for partitioning of a floor or wall panelling or a false ceiling etc. There are many defined and proven materials available in the market which can help to mitigate the fire safety concern like – Fire resistance safety glass, fire resistance metal doors, fire wool, water sprinklers, fire-resisting electric cables, fire alarms, smoke seals, smoke detectors, fixed carbon-di-oxide /foam/d-co water spray extinguishing system, static water storage tank, etc. Fixing an automatic smoke exit window, which opens if the smoke is detected above the defined restricted percentage is also essential.

A building must have identified fire exits with proper empty space to rescue the people trapped inside. All fire escapes shall be directly connected to the ground floor. There should be a provision for separate fire exit lifts to help senior citizens to escape. The lift machine room shall be separate and no other machinery be installed in it. The route to the fire escape shall be free of obstructions at all times.

Smoking shall be prohibited in all areas where there is a profusion of combustible materials. Easily readable “NO SMOKING” signs must be conspicuously posted at locations where they can catch the eye. Each sign must also include a pictograph. The sign may also be illuminated.

Fire door for an electric unit

Staircase fire exit door - Showing fire exit plan, fire exit door with panic handle, Fire Alarm to direct and escape person trapped inside and fire extinguisher and water extinguisher to slow down the active fire

One of case study newspaper image of Lotus Business Park in Andheri (W) - a 22 story commercial building where a fire accident happened in July 2014

As an alternative, a door which gives direct access to a balcony which is suitable for rescue by ladder or for escape should be designed.

Windows are one of the most important parts of the building; the window should have an openable section which provides an unobstructed clear open area of at least 0.33 sq m. The height should be not less than 450 mm, the width should be not less than 450 mm, and the opening section should be capable of remaining in the position which provides this minimum clear open area. It is important to note that lockable handles or restrictors, which can only be released by removable keys or other tools, should not be fitted to window opening sections for escape or rescue.

Building regulations are making fire rated windows a requirement in an increasing amount of building types, particularly in high-rise buildings. In certain circumstances, glass, windows and façades must be fire-resistant. They must prevent fire spread, provide a safe escape route, offer ventilation, ensure that a building’s structure will not be affected, and provide safe access to the building in the event of a fire. Therefore, it is incredibly important to ensure that your building is fitted with fire-rated windows appropriate to your building type along with a fire-rated glass of 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes as per requirement.

Conclusion There must be basic awareness among all stakeholders, right from the person who is designing the dream structure to the person who is going to occupy the area for living or for a commercial purpose, with respect to fire safety mitigation measures. The awareness can be spread by the government, fire safety departments, fire safety material manufacturing companies, etc.

To control the active fire, one should through with the guidelines of fire safety post-construction in an occupied building. Passive fire mitigation measures should be followed during the design and construction of the building.

DHIREN K GADA

Sr. Manager – Sales & Operations,

Sejal Intelligent Façade Solutions Pvt Ltd

ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dhiren Gada is the Senior Manager – Sales & Operations at the façade engineering company - Sejal Intelligent Façade Solutions Pvt Ltd. He has many years of experience in architectural glass manufacturing and the façade engineering industry. He has worn many hats working with sales to production to operations teams and beyond. His favourite part about working is the opportunity to take on new challenges every day and grow his skills. He holds a Master’s Degree in professional accounts. Apart from that, he also holds certification in Fire Resistant Glazing work. Working with Sejal Group, he is focusing on the vision of CMD of Sejal Group, Amrut S. Gada, to make façade industry a more educated, organised and well-developed ecosystem, and on bringing new generation leaders into the industry.

A glass façade building in Gurugram, with no visible, Openable windows. Breaking the toughened glass may be extremely difficult for external intervention, even with ALPs

On looking at the literal meaning of the ‘façade & fenestration’ it is known that façade means “the front wall of a large building that you see from the outside” or “the way somebody/ something appears to be, which is not the way it really is”. It may be seen that in many of the socalled commercial buildings, it is not the front wall alone, but the buildings having glass façades on all sides.

The meaning of fenestrations is “the arrangement, proportioning & design of windows & doors in a building”. This part i.e.“windows” was seen totally missing in most of the glass façade buildings built in the past.

Roll of Walls/Façade The role played by the external walls or façade of any building, especially in the event of an outbreak of fire, becomes more relevant in such buildings. The balconies are a regular feature in normal buildings. This feature is normally missing in the glass façade building. The external walls protect a building from the external climatic conditions and keep the interior comfortable for the people living in the building. The buildings need to be strong enough to face the extreme climatic conditions, to which the area is likely to be exposed. We also need to have natural light ventilation, a clean environment, parking space, space for movement of fire engines, and water for firefighting, etc. The requirements in these regards are well defined and specified in the NBC. Most of these requirements are the same for glass façades, as well as other buildings, however, it is the internal division of the building, which makes the notable difference, so far as fire safety and means of escape are concerned.

This difference is mainly because the normal office buildings have a central corridor, ventilated on both ends and with rooms on either side. The space above the false ceiling is normally used for AC ducts and other services. The rooms are provided with a number of doors as per the size and occupancy of the rooms. The arrangement is more or less similar in the case of institutional