‘A Gentle Whisper in Your Ear’

Post-9/11 & Post-Mumbai Fire Engineering – What Future ?

Previous Posts in This Series …

2011-10-25:  NIST’s Recommendations on the 9-11 WTC Building Collapses … GROUP 1. Increased Structural Integrity – Recommendations 1, 2 & 3 (out of 30)

2011-11-18:  NIST WTC Recommendations 4-7 > Structural Fire Endurance … GROUP 2.  Enhanced Fire Endurance of Structures – Recommendations 4, 5, 6 & 7

2011-11-24:  NIST WTC Recommendations 8-11 > New Design of Structures … GROUP 3.  New Methods for Fire Resisting Design of Structures – Recommendations 8, 9, 10 & 11

2011-11-25:  NIST WTC Recommendations 12-15 > Improved Active Protection … GROUP 4.  Improved Active Fire Protection – Recommendations 12, 13, 14 & 15

2011-11-30:  NIST Recommendations 16-20 > Improved People Evacuation … GROUP 5.  Improved Building Evacuation – Recommendations 16, 17, 18, 19 & 20

2011-12-04:  NIST WTC Recommendations 21-24 > Improved Firefighting … GROUP 6.  Improved Emergency Response – Recommendations 21, 22, 23 & 24

2011-12-07:  NIST WTC Recommendations 25-28 > Improved Practices … GROUP 7.  Improved Procedures and Practices – Recommendations 25, 26, 27 & 28

2011-12-08:  NIST WTC Recommendations 29-30 > Improved Fire Education … GROUP 8.  Education and Training – Recommendations 29 & 30 (out of 30)

.

.

2011-12-15:  You know what is coming soon … so Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to One and All !!

.

  1.     There were 2 Important Reasons for undertaking this Series of Posts …

(a)       The General Public, and particularly Client Organizations, should be facilitated in directly accessing the core content of the 2005 NIST WTC Recommendations.  Up to now, many people have found this to be a daunting task.  More importantly, I also wanted to clearly show that implementation of the Recommendations is still proceeding far too slowly … and that today, many significant aspects of these Recommendations remain unimplemented.  Furthermore, in the case of some recent key national standards, e.g. British Standard BS 9999, which was published in 2008 … the NIST Recommendations were entirely ignored.

As a golden rule … National Building Codes/Regulations and National Standards … cannot, should not, and must not … be applied without informed thought and many questions, on the part of a building designer !

(b)       With the benefit of hindsight, and our practical experience in FireOx International … I also wanted to add a necessary 2011 Technical Commentary to the NIST Recommendations … highlighting some of the radical implications, and some of the limitations, of these Recommendations … in the hope of initiating a much-needed and long overdue international discussion on the subject.

” Architecture is the language of a culture.”

” A living building is the information space where life can be found.  Life exists within the space.  The information of space is then the information of life.  Space is the body of the building.  The building is therefore the space, the information, and the life.”

C.Y. Lee & Partners Architects/Planners, Taiwan

[ This is a local dialect of familiar Architectural Language.  However, the new multi-aspect language of Sustainable Design is fast evolving.  In order to perform as an effective and creative member of a Trans-Disciplinary Design & Construction Team ... can Fire Engineers quickly learn to communicate on these wavelengths ??   Evidence to date suggests not ! ]

.

  2.     ‘Climate Change’ & ‘Energy Stability’ – Relentless Driving Forces for Sustainable Design !

Not only is Sustainable Fire Engineering inevitable … it must be !   And not at some distant point in the future … but now … yesterday !!   There is such a build-up of pressure on Spatial Planners and Building Designers to respond quickly, creatively, intuitively and appropriately to the relentless driving forces of Climate Change (including climate change mitigation, adaptation, and severe weather resilience) and Energy Stability (including energy efficiency and conservation) … that there is no other option for the International Fire Science and Engineering Community but to adapt.  Adapt and evolve … or become irrelevant !!

And one more interesting thought to digest … ‘Green’ is not the answer.  ’Green’ looks at only one aspect of Sustainable Human & Social Development … the Environment.  This is a blinkered, short-sighted, simplistic and ill-conceived approach to realizing the complex goal of a Safe and Sustainable Built Environment.  ‘Green’ is ‘Sustainability’ for innocent children !!

.

  (a)      Organization for Economic Co-Operation & Development (OECD) – 2012′s Environmental Outlook to 2050

Extract from Pre-Release Climate Change Chapter, November 2011 …

‘ Climate change presents a global systemic risk to society.  It threatens the basic elements of life for all people: access to water, food production, health, use of land, and physical and natural capital.  Inadequate attention to climate change could have significant social consequences for human wellbeing, hamper economic growth and heighten the risk of abrupt and large-scale changes to our climatic and ecological systems.  The significant economic damage could equate to a permanent loss in average per capita world consumption of more than 14% (Stern, 2006).  Some poor countries would be likely to suffer particularly severely.  This chapter demonstrates how avoiding these economic, social and environmental costs will require effective policies to shift economies onto low-carbon and climate-resilient growth paths.’

  (b)      U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Greenhouse Gas Bulletin No.7, November 2011

Executive Summary …

The latest analysis of observations from the WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme shows that the globally averaged mixing ratios of Carbon Dioxide (CO₂), Methane (CH₄) and Nitrous Oxide (N₂O) reached new highs in 2010, with CO₂ at 389.0 parts per million (ppm), CH₄ at 1808 parts per billion (ppb) and N₂O at 323.2 ppb.  These values are greater than those in pre-industrial times (before 1750) by 39%, 158% and 20%, respectively.  Atmospheric increases of CO₂ and N₂O from 2009 to 2010 are consistent with recent years, but they are higher than both those observed from 2008 to 2009 and those averaged over the past 10 years.  Atmospheric CH₄ continues to increase, consistent with the past three years.  The U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Annual Greenhouse Gas Index shows that from 1990 to 2010 radiative forcing by long-lived Greenhouse Gases (GHG’s) increased by 29%, with CO₂ accounting for nearly 80% of this increase.  Radiative forcing of N₂O exceeded that of CFC-12, making N₂O the third most important long-lived Greenhouse Gas.

  (c)      International Energy Agency (IEA) – World Energy Outlook, November 2011

Extract from Executive Summary …

‘ There are few signs that the urgently needed change in direction in global energy trends is underway.  Although the recovery in the world economy since 2009 has been uneven, and future economic prospects remain uncertain, global primary energy demand rebounded by a remarkable 5% in 2010, pushing CO₂ emissions to a new high.  Subsidies that encourage wasteful consumption of fossil fuels jumped to over $400 billion.  The number of people without access to electricity remained unacceptably high at 1.3 Billion, around 20% of the world’s population.  Despite the priority in many countries to increase energy efficiency, global energy intensity worsened for the second straight year.  Against this unpromising background, events such as those at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant and the turmoil in parts of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) have cast doubts on the reliability of energy supply, while concerns about sovereign financial integrity have shifted the focus of government attention away from energy policy and limited their means of policy intervention, boding ill for agreed global climate change objectives.’

[ Not just in the case of Tall, Super-Tall and Mega-Tall Buildings ... but the many, many Other Building Types in the Built Environment ... are Building Designers implementing the 2005 & 2008 NIST WTC Recommendations ... without waiting for Building and Fire Codes/Regulations and Standards to be properly revised and updated ??   Evidence to date suggests not ! ]

.

  3.     Separate Dilemmas for Client Organizations and Building Designers …

As discussed earlier in this Series … the Fire Safety Objectives of Building and Fire Codes/Regulations are limited to:

• The protection of building users/occupants ;   and
• The protection of property … BUT only insofar as that is relevant to the protection of the users/occupants ;

… because the function of Building and Fire Codes is to protect Society.  Well, that is supposed to be true !   Unfortunately, not all Codes/Regulations are adequate or up-to-date … as we have been observing here in these posts.

.

Just taking the Taipei 101 Tower as an example, I have very recently sent out three genuine, bona fide e-mail messages from our practice …

2011-12-08

Toshiba Elevator & Building Systems Corporation (TELC), Japan.

To Whom It May Concern …

Knowing that your organization was involved in the Taipei 101 Project … we have been examining your WebSite very carefully.  However, some important information was missing from there.

For our International Work … we would like to receive technical information on the Use of Elevators for Fire Evacuation in Buildings … which we understand is actually happening in the Taipei Tower, since it was completed in 2004.

The Universal Design approach must also be integrated into any New Elevators.

Can you help us ?

C.J. Walsh

[2012-01-10 ... No reply yet !]

.

2011-12-12

Mr. Thomas Z. Scarangello P.E. – Chairman & CEO, Thornton Tomasetti Structural Engineers, New York.

Dear Thomas,

Knowing that your organization was involved in the structural design of the Taipei 101 Tower, which was completed in 2004 … and in the on-going design of many other iconic tall, super-tall and mega-tall buildings around the world … we have been examining your Company Brochures and WebSite very carefully.  However, some essential information is missing.

As you are certainly aware … implementation of the 2005 & 2008 National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) Recommendations on the Collapse of WTC Buildings 1, 2 & 7, in New York, on 11 September 2001 … is still proceeding at a snail’s pace, i.e. very slowly.  Today, many significant aspects of NIST’s Recommendations remain unimplemented.

For our International Work … we would like to understand how you have responded directly to the NIST Recommendations … and incorporated the necessary additional modifications into your current structural fire engineering designs.

Many thanks for your kind attention.  In anticipation of your prompt and detailed response …

C.J. Walsh

[2012-01-10 ... No reply yet !]

.

2011-12-14

Mr. C.Y. Lee & Mr. C.P. Wang, Principal Architects – C.Y. Lee & Partners Architects/Planners, Taiwan.

Dear Sirs,

Knowing that your architectural practice designed the Taipei 101 Tower, which was completed in 2004 … and, later, was also involved in the design of other tall and super-tall buildings in Taiwan and China … we have been examining your Company WebSite very carefully.  However, some essential information is missing.

As you are probably aware … implementation of the 2005 & 2008 U.S. National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) Recommendations on the Collapse of WTC Buildings 1, 2 & 7, in New York City, on 11 September 2001 … is still proceeding at a snail’s pace, i.e. very slowly.  Today, many significant aspects of NIST’s Recommendations remain unimplemented.

For our International Work … we would like to understand how you have responded directly to the NIST Recommendations … and incorporated the necessary additional modifications into your current architectural designs.

Many thanks for your kind attention.  In anticipation of your prompt and detailed response …

C.J. Walsh

[2012-01-10 ... No reply yet !]

.

So … how many Clients, or Client Organizations, are aware that to properly protect their interests … even, a significant part of their interests … it is vitally necessary that Project-Specific Fire Engineering Design Objectives be developed which will have a much wider scope ?   The answer is … not many !

How many Architects, Structural Engineers, and Fire Engineers fully explain this to their Clients or Client Organizations ?

And how many Clients/Client Organizations either know that they should ask, or have the balls to ask … their Architect, Structural Engineer and Fire Engineer for this explanation … and furthermore, in the case of any High-Rise Building, Iconic Building, or Building having an Important Function or an Innovative Design … ask the same individuals for some solid reassurance that they have responded directly to the 2005 & 2008 NIST WTC Recommendations … and incorporated the necessary additional modifications into your current designs … whatever current Building and Fire Codes/Regulations do or do not say ??   A big dilemma !

.

A common and very risky dilemma for Building Designers, however, arises in the situation where the Project Developer, i.e. the Client/Client Organization … is the same as the Construction Organization.  The Project Design & Construction Team - as a whole - now has very little power or authority if a conflict arises over technical aspects of the design … or over construction costs.  An even bigger dilemma !!

.

  4.     The Next Series of Posts – 2008 NIST WTC Recommendations

In the new year of 2012 … I will examine the later NIST Recommendations which were a response to the Fire-Induced Progressive Collapse of World Trade Center Building No.7.

.

  5.     Please … Your Comments, Views & Opinions ?!?

The future of  Conventional Fire Engineering ended on the morning of Tuesday, 11 September 2001, in New York City … an engineering discipline constrained by a long heritage deeply embedded in, and manacled to, an outdated and inflexible prescriptive approach to Codes/Regulations and Standards … an approach which is irrational, ignores the ‘real’ needs of the ‘real’ people who use and/or occupy ‘real’ buildings … and, quite frankly, no longer makes any scientific sense !!

On the other hand … having confronted the harsh realities of 9/11 and the Mumbai ‘Hive’ Attacks, and digested the 2005 & 2008 NIST WTC Recommendations … Sustainable Fire Engineering … having a robust empirical basis, being ‘person-centred’, and positively promoting creativity … offers the International Fire Science and Engineering Community a confident journey forward into the future … on many diverse routes !

This IS the only appropriate response to the exciting architectural innovations and fire safety challenges of today’s Built Environment.

BUT … what do you think ?

.

.

END

Tags: 'Green' is 'Sustainability' for innocent children !!, 'Green' looks at only one aspect of Sustainable Human & Social Development ... the Environment, 'The Cloud' Residential Tower Project in Seoul (South Korea), 2005 NIST WTC RECOMMENDATIONS, 2012's Environmental Outlook to 2050, A living building is the information space where life can be found, Accessible Fire Engineering, Active fire protection, Adapt and evolve ... or become irrelevant !!, Adrian Smith & Gordon Gill Architecture, Architecture is the language of a culture, ask the same individuals for some solid reassurance, British Standard BS 9999 - Code of Practice for Fire Safety in the Design Management and Use of Buildings, Building Designers, Built Environment, C.Y. Lee & Partners Architects/Planners, can Fire Engineers quickly learn to communicate on these wavelengths, China, Client Organizations, Climate Change (including climate change mitigation adaptation and severe weather resilience), Climate Change Adaptation, Climate change presents a global systemic risk to society, Design by MVRDV Architects, digested the 2005 & 2008 NIST WTC Recommendations, Energy Stability (including energy efficiency and conservation), Executive Summary, Extract from Pre-Release Climate Change Chapter, Fire Engineering Design, Fire Safety, Fire-Induced Progressive Collapse of World Trade Center Building No.7, FireOx International, fully explain this to their Clients or Client Organizations, General Public, Gensler Architects & Planners, GROUP 1. Increased Structural Integrity - Recommendations 1 2 & 3 (out of 30), GROUP 8. Education and Training - Recommendations 29 & 30 (out of 30), having confronted the harsh realities of 9/11 and the Mumbai 'Hive' Attacks, how many Clients/Client Organizations either know that they should ask or have the balls to ask, I also wanted to add a necessary 2011 Technical Commentary to the NIST Recommendations, if a conflict arises over technical aspects of the design ... or over construction costs, In order to perform as an effective and creative member of a Trans-Disciplinary Design & Construction Team, in the case of some recent key national standards, incorporated the necessary additional modifications into your current structural fire engineering designs, Indonesia, International Energy Agency (IEA) - World Energy Outlook, International Fire Science and Engineering Community, it is vitally necessary that Project-Specific Fire Engineering Design Objectives be developed which will have a much wider scope, Kingdom Tower Project, many Other Building Types in the Built Environment, many people have found this to be a daunting task, many significant aspects of these Recommendations remain unimplemented, Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to One and All !!, Mr. Thomas Z. Scarangello P.E. - Chairman & CEO, must not ... be applied without informed thought and many questions on the part of a building designer, National Building Codes/Regulations and National Standards, National Institute of Standards & Technology, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Netherlands, NIST, NIST WTC Recommendations 29-30 > Improved Fire Education, NIST's Recommendations on the 9-11 WTC Building Collapses, not all Codes/Regulations are adequate or up-to-date, Not just in the case of Tall Super-Tall and Mega-Tall Buildings, One World Trade Center Project, Organization for Economic Co-Operation & Development (OECD), photograph, Post-9/11 & Post-Mumbai Fire Engineering - What Future ?, Relentless Driving Forces for Sustainable Design, Saudi Arabia, Seoul, Separate Dilemmas for Client Organizations and Building Designers, Shanghai Tower Project, Signature Tower Project in Jakarta, Skidmore Owings & Merrill Architects/Planners, Smallwood Reynolds Stewart Stewart Architects & Planners, South Korea, Space is the body of the building, Structure fire, Sustainable Design, Sustainable Fire Engineering, Sustainable Fire Engineering ... having a robust empirical basis being 'person-centred' and positively promoting creativity, Sustainable Human & Social Development, Taipei 101 Tower, Taiwan, the exciting architectural innovations and fire safety challenges of today's Built Environment, the Fire Safety Objectives of Building and Fire Codes/Regulations are limited, the function of Building and Fire Codes is to protect Society, The future of Conventional Fire Engineering ended on the morning of Tuesday 11 September 2001, The General Public and particularly Client Organizations should be facilitated in directly accessing the core content, The Netherlands, the new multi-aspect language of Sustainable Design is fast evolving, the NIST Recommendations were entirely ignored, The Project Design & Construction Team - as a whole - now has very little power or authority, The protection of building users/occupants, The protection of property ... BUT only insofar as that is relevant to the protection of the users/occupants, the situation where the Project Developer i.e. the Client/Client Organization ... is the same as the Construction Organization, The Universal Design approach must also be integrated into any New Elevators, There are few signs that the urgently needed change in direction in global energy trends is underway, There were 2 Important Reasons for undertaking this Series of Posts, This is a local dialect of familiar Architectural Language, Thornton Tomasetti Structural Engineers, Toshiba Elevator & Building Systems Corporation (TELC) Japan, U.N. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Greenhouse Gas Bulletin No.7, U.S. National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Annual Greenhouse Gas Index, United States of America, Use of Elevators for Fire Evacuation in Buildings, we would like to understand how you have responded directly to the NIST Recommendations, without waiting for Building and Fire Codes/Regulations and Standards to be properly revised and updated, WMO Global Atmosphere Watch (GAW) Programme

Accessible Toilet Room in a Japanese Public Place – Kanazawa

2011-11-28:  Further to my post, dated 20 October 2010 …

A valuable and essential facility in the grounds of  Kanazawa Castle, Japan … entered directly from the exterior … is this Accessible Toilet Room / WC / Bathroom / Hygiene Room / Rest Room / Sanitary Room (whichever term you are familiar with) provided for public use.  There is no attendant permanently present, and no camera surveillance of the external entrance area.  However, it is regularly cleaned and properly maintained during the Castle’s opening hours.

The following photographs show a far more ‘developed’, ‘civilized’ and ‘person-centred’ approach to the design and fit-out of these public facilities (quite common in Japan) … than here in Europe.

Real Accessibility-for-All in action … with no messing around …

.

.

.

.

.

.

.

END

Tags: a far more 'developed' 'civilized' and 'person-centred' approach to the design and fit-out of these public facilities, Accessibility of buildings for people with disabilities, Accessibility-for-All, Accessible Toilet Room / WC / Bathroom / Hygiene Room / Rest Room / Sanitary Room, Accessible Toilet Room in a Japanese Public Space - Kanazawa, and no camera surveillance of the external entrance area, Built Environment, CJ Walsh, Client Organizations, Detailed view of toilet controls and accessories, human and social rights, it is regularly cleaned and properly maintained during the Castle's opening hours, People with Activity Limitations (2001 WHO ICF), Personnes à Performances Réduites (2001 WHO ICF), photograph, Public Toilet Room in the grounds of Kanazawa Castle Japan ... which is Accessible-for-All, quite common in Japan, Real Accessibility-for-All in action ... with no messing around, Sustainability Implementation, Sustainable Design, Sustainable Human & Social Development, There is no attendant permanently present, valuable and essential facility in the grounds of Kanazawa Castle Japan

Some Interesting Images From Italy – October 2011

2011-11-07:  Images from a recent business trip to the Region of Le Marche, in Italy … a region steeped in history, and rich in beautiful landscape, and good friends, food and wine … via Rome’s Ciampino Airport.

Without realizing it, the flight into Rome came just after a very serious storm had hit the north-west coastal Regions of Liguria & Toscana … even the central Region of Lazio received a lash.  Devastatingly destructive flash floods had resulted.  Many people were killed.  The recent bad flooding in Dublin was just a tea party in comparison !

     1.  Anti-Sustainable ‘Photovoltaic Fields’

Not small greenhouses !   Instead, let me introduce you to the new concept of the Photovoltaic Field … where good agricultural land has been ‘planted’ with photovoltaic panels, incentivized by grants, tax breaks, or whatever (does it really matter ?!?) … how sustainable is this ?   These fields are becoming quite a common sight in the Italian countryside …

.

     2.  Petrol/Gasoline Prices in Italy Now

This was a good average … depending on location, however, Petrol/Gasoline Prices could vary by as much as ± 3 to 4 cents …

.

     3.  Braille Maps at Building Entrances/Exits

A good example of a Braille Map, which should be located at the Entrances and Exits of All Buildings … essential for the blind - the visually impaired - those with frail sight … and very useful for travellers/visitors, generally, who are unfamiliar with their surroundings and need to rapidly access information about their location and orientation …

.

     4.  Corrado Levantesi – Montefortino, Le Marche

Finally and most importantly, I want to remember a good friend … Corrado Levantesi, who died one day after his 51st Birthday, on 15 September 2011, following a long illness.  May he rest in peace …

.

.

SDI Practice Note:  Due to administrative changes in the Provincial Boundaries of Le Marche … our Italian Address has been altered to …

Sustainable Design International Ltd.,  Via Doganelli 2,  63857 Amandola (FM),  Italia.

.

.

END

Tags: 63857 Amandola (FM) Italia, A good example of a Braille Map which should be located at the Entrances and Exits of All Buildings, a region steeped in history and rich in beautiful landscape, a very serious storm had hit the north-west coastal Regions of Liguria & Toscana, Anti-Sustainable 'Photovoltaic Fields', Braille Map at the Arrivals Building Main Entrance/Exit in Rome's Ciampino Airport, Braille Maps at Building Entrances/Exits, Corrado Levantesi - Monte Fortino Le Marche, depending on location however Petrol/Gasoline Prices could vary by as much as ± 3 to 4 cents, essential for the blind - the visually impaired - those with frail sight, even the central Region of Lazio received a lash, good friends food and wine, having strong colour contrast and with texts in Italian and English, how sustainable is this ?, Images from a recent business trip to the Region of Le Marche, incentivized by grants tax breaks or whatever (does it really matter ?!?), Italy, let me introduce you to the new concept of the Photovoltaic Field, need to rapidly access information about their location and orientation, Not small greenhouses !, Petrol/Gasoline Prices in Italy Now, Region of Le Marche in Italy, Rome's Ciampino Airport, SDI Practice Note, Some Interesting Images From Italy - October 2011, Sustainable Design International Ltd, the north-west coastal Regions of Liguria & Toscana, The recent bad flooding in Dublin was just a tea party in comparison !, These fields are becoming quite a common sight in the Italian countryside, very useful for travellers/visitors generally who are unfamiliar with their surroundings, Via Doganelli 2, where good agricultural land has been 'planted' with photovoltaic panels

Remembering Dr. Ernesto ‘EL CHE’ Guevara de la Serna Lynch ?

2011-10-10:  Yesterday … did anyone remember the myth that is … and the man of Latin America that was … Dr. Ernesto ‘EL CHE’ Guevara de la Serna Lynch … assassinated on 9 October 1967, in Bolivia ??

.

.

.

.

.

END

Tags: 'CHE' Street Hoarding in Cienfuegos Cuba, 'EL CHE' Guevara, a small museum in the central square of Yara (Plaza Grito de Yara) Cuba, an image of CHE with the accompanying text "Tu Ejemplo Vive - Tus Ideas Perduran", built to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the Battle for Santa Clara, Centuries earlier nearby the Indian hero Hatuey was burned at the stake, CJ Walsh, Colour photograph showing the memorial in Plaza de la Revolución Santa Clara Cuba, it was designed by the Architect Jorge Cao Campos, Memorial 'Comandante Ernesto Che Guevara' in Santa Clara Cuba, Remembering Dr. Ernesto 'CHE' Guevara de la Serna Lynch, The memorial complex also comprises the mausoleum of Che Guevara and a museum, the Sculptor José Delarra, Unveiled on 28 December 1988

Beautiful Sunset – Turgutreis, Bodrum Peninsula, Turkey

2011-09-17:  Remembering a Beautiful Sunset … looking out over the Sea and the many small Islands … those wisps of Cloud creating such a magical effect … on the evening of Tuesday, 14 June 2011 … followed by rakı, good food and wine … and enjoying good company …

.

END

Tags: Beautiful Sunset - Turgutreis Bodrum Peninsula Turkey, enjoying good company, followed by rakı good food and wine, looking out over the Sea and the many small Islands, Photograph by CJ Walsh, Remembering a Beautiful Sunset, those wisps of Cloud creating such a magical effect, Tuesday 14 June 2011

Building Design Must Improve Firefighter Safety in Fire Incidents !

Back to the present … and in any jurisdiction, news of  Firefighter Fatalities and/or Injuries is very distressing.  It has been remarkable to note, however, how some countries, e.g. Japan, are expending significant time and resources on developing innovative ways to improve firefighter safety in buildings … while most countries are not.  Over many years, I have formed the clear impression that, generally, firefighters are regarded in much the same way as soldiers, i.e. they are a disposable asset … ‘Theirs not to reason why / Theirs but to do and die’ … etc., etc.  This situation is entirely unacceptable, and in need of urgent resolution !

On 6th & 7th July … in Cardiff, Wales … I have been invited by the International President of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE), Mr. HG Tay, to make a presentation on ‘Sustainable Fire Engineering’ at the 2011 IFE International Fire Conference and Annual General Meeting.  I am greatly honoured by this invitation.

During the course of that presentation, I will be referring to Firefighter Safety … but much more needs to be said, beforehand, in relation to the untapped contribution of building design to greater levels of firefighter safety …

INTRODUCTION

It may be obvious for some (but, believe me, not for all !) that with regard to fighting fires in buildings … Firefighters have 2 Basic Functions :

• to rescue people who are trapped in a Fire Building (i.e. a building which is on fire) … or people who, for some reason, cannot independently evacuate the building (e.g. people with activity limitations) ;   and
• to fight those fires, and ensure that they are properly extinguished.

Note:  Extinction of a fire is confirmed only after a thorough visual inspection by a competent person.

.

DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION

In a previous post, dated 13 December 2010 … I said that it was no longer ethically acceptable to ignore the issue of Firefighter Safety in the design and construction of buildings … because design can make a major contribution to their safety.

Unfortunately, Firefighter Safety must continue to remain an ethical issue because Building Regulations in most countries rarely, if ever, refer to this important aspect of design and construction.  Safety at Work Legislation has a related, but different, intent.

Regrettably, most of the building design professions either have no Code of Ethics … or there is a Code which is ‘lite-lite-lite’, i.e. very weak on ethics … or, worse still, they have a Code … but it is called a Code of Professional Conduct, the principal intent of which is to preserve and protect the profession and its vested interests.

At European Level …

Essential Requirements 1 & 2 (of 6 … for the time being) … in Annex I of European Union (EU) Council Directive 89/106/EEC, of 21 December 1988, on the approximation of laws, regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to Construction Products … state the following …

1. Mechanical Resistance & Stability

The construction works must be designed and built in such a way that the loadings that are liable to act on it during its construction and use will not lead to any of the following:

(a) collapse of the whole or part of the works ;

(b) major deformations to an inadmissible degree ;

(c) damage to other parts of the works or to fittings or installed equipment as a result of major deformation of the load-bearing construction ;

(d) damage by an event to an extent disproportionate to the original cause.

2. Safety in Case of Fire

The construction works must be designed and built in such a way that in the event of an outbreak of fire:

- the load-bearing capacity of the construction can be assumed for a specific period of time ;

- the generation and spread of fire and smoke within the works are limited ;

- the spread of the fire to neighbouring construction works is limited ;

- occupants can leave the works or be rescued by other means ;

- the safety of rescue teams is taken into consideration.

.

Sweden … has incorporated all 6 Essential Requirements of EU Construction Products Directive 89/106/EEC into its National Building Regulations … but has omitted the reference to the ‘safety of rescue teams’, i.e. Firefighter Safety.  Why is that ?

Ireland, along with England & Wales, has not incorporated the EU CPD Essential Requirements into its National Building Regulations.  There is no requirement, in Part B of the Building Regulations of either of these two separate jurisdictions, to consider Firefighter Safety in the design and construction of buildings.

In these three specific cases, taken as a simple example, this is a serious legal flaw … especially since the European Template, above, has existed since the late 1980′s !

.

Let me illustrate how Building Design & Construction can make a major contribution to improved levels of Firefighter Safety …

     A.  Accessible Internal Staircases Having Sufficient Unobstructed Width

From a building user’s point of view … the success of a building depends, to a large extent, on the ‘quality’ of its circulation spaces.  During the design process, however, an architect is typically concerned with the relationship between different functions and spaces … while, at the same time, he/she is shaping and moulding the internal and external forms of the building.

The full range of tasks and activities in these circulation spaces is rarely, if ever, considered by the building designer.  The subject is not covered in Architectural Schools … and in later professional life, a reluctance to carry out Building Post-Occupation Evaluations (POE’s) reinforces this low level of awareness.

Some Tasks & Activities in Building Circulation Spaces …

• Access to the building’s spaces and use of its services and facilities ;
• Egress from the building during normal, everyday circumstances ;
• Independent Evacuation, in the event of an emergency ;
• Assisted Evacuation by others, or Rescue by Firefighters, for those building users who cannot independently evacuate the building, e.g. people with activity limitations ;
• Firefighter Access & Reconnaissance, in the event of an emergency ;
• Firefighter Attack, as they approach the proximity of the fire scene ;
• Firefighter Removal from the building, by colleagues, in the event of injury, impairment, or a fire event induced health condition ;
• Firefighter Withdrawal at the successful conclusion of firefighting operations.

.

.

The photograph above was extracted from this  2010 Poster Presentation …

Daniel DiRenzo, Cherry Hill Fire Department, New Jersey, USA

Building Fires – Personal Harness Use – Firefighter Removals

Click the Link Above to read and/or download PDF File (1.73 Mb)

No matter what the jurisdiction … no matter what Building Regulations do or do not require … it is clear that, during a ‘real’ fire emergency, patterns of circulation are not simple … and they cannot easily be segregated into categories with simple titles.  They are complex … and, quite often, they overlap.

In the case of the firefighter removal on a staircase (shown above) … there is a necessity to consider another type of ‘Contraflow’ … where the injured, or impaired, firefighter with two of his/her colleagues rendering assistance are together moving away from the scene of the fire … while other firefighters are moving in the opposite direction, towards the fire.

In all but the most simple and smallest building types, this is what a Fire Evacuation Staircase should look like below … having a clear unobstructed staircase width, between handrails, of 1500 mm … with a stair going/tread of 300 mm, and a stair riser of 150 mm.  Proper attention by the designer to Accessibility Design Criteria will also make the staircase far, far easier … and safer … for Firefighter Movement …

.

     B.  Accessible Façade Walkways in High-Rise Buildings

With today’s powerful drivers of greater energy conservation and efficiency in buildings, adaptation to climate change, and a paradigm shift in thinking on the reduction of adverse environmental impact by buildings … External Façade Design is rapidly evolving … becoming far more complex and, in many cases, comprising multiple ‘skins’.

Just check out this architectural feature, below, in an Osaka (Japan) High-Rise Hotel … which not only serves as an accessible route for evacuation and/or rescue in the event of a fire incident … but also permits much easier access for maintenance and window cleaning.

This architectural feature should be mandatory in the case of high-rise buildings with a single, central core …

.

.

.

Building Design can make a substantial contribution to greater Firefighter Safety !!

BUT … who is raising the awareness of building designers about this issue ???

.

.

END

Tags: 2011 IFE International Fire Conference and Annual General Meeting, Access to the building's spaces and use of its services and facilities, Accessible Façade Walkways in High-Rise Buildings, Accessible Fire Engineering, Accessible Internal Staircases Having Sufficient Unobstructed Width, Annex I of European Union (EU) Council Directive 89/106/EEC, another type of 'Contraflow' ... where the injured or impaired firefighter with two of his/her colleagues rendering assistance are together moving away from the scene of the fire ... while other firef, Area of Rescue Assistance in a Building, Assisted Evacuation by others or Rescue by Firefighters for those building users who cannot independently evacuate the building, British Standard BS 9999 - Code of Practice for Fire Safety in the Design Management and Use of Buildings, Building Design Must Improve Firefighter Safety in Fire Incidents, Building Fires - Personal Harness Use - Firefighter Removals, Building Post-Occupation Evaluations (POE's), Built Environment, but has omitted the reference to the 'safety of rescue teams' ... Firefighter Safety, CJ Walsh, Client Organizations, Code of Professional Conduct the principal intent of which is to preserve and protect the profession and its vested interests, Colour drawing taken from International Standard ISO FDIS 21542, Daniel DiRenzo - Cherry Hill Fire Department New Jersey USA, Egress from the building during normal everyday circumstances, England and Wales, Essential Requirements 1 and 2 (of 6 ... for the time being), EU, european union, External Façade Design is rapidly evolving ... becoming far more complex and in many cases comprising multiple 'skins', Extinction of a fire is confirmed only after a thorough visual inspection by a competent person, Fire Engineering Design, Fire Safety, Firefighter Access and Reconnaissance in the event of an emergency, Firefighter Attack as they approach the proximity of the fire scene, Firefighter Removal from the building by colleagues in the event of injury impairment or a fire event induced health condition, Firefighter Safety must continue to remain an ethical issue because Building Regulations in most countries rarely refer to this important aspect of design and construction, Firefighter Withdrawal at the successful conclusion of firefighting operations, Firefighters have 2 Basic Functions, FireOx International, having a clear unobstructed staircase width between handrails of 1500 mm, In all but the most simple and smallest building types this is what a Fire Evacuation Staircase should look like below ..., in any jurisdiction news of Firefighter Fatalities and/or Injuries is very distressing, Independent Evacuation in the event of an emergency, International President of the Institution of Fire Engineers (IFE) Mr. HG Tay, Ireland, Ireland - along with England and Wales - has not incorporated the EU CPD Essential Requirements into its National Building Regulations, Japan, Just check out this architectural feature in an Osaka (Japan) High-Rise Hotel, Let me illustrate how Building Design and Construction can make a major contribution to improved levels of Firefighter Safety, Mechanical Resistance and Stability, most of the building design professions either have no Code of Ethics, much more needs to be said in relation to the untapped contribution of building design to greater levels of firefighter safety, no longer ethically acceptable to ignore the issue of Firefighter Safety in the design and construction of buildings, or there is a Code which is 'lite-lite-lite' ... very weak on ethics, patterns of circulation are not simple ... and they cannot easily be segregated into categories with simple titles, People with Activity Limitations (2001 WHO ICF), Personnes à Performances Réduites (2001 WHO ICF), photograph, Proper attention by the designer to Accessibility Design Criteria will also make the staircase far far easier ... and safer ... for Firefighter Movement, Safety at Work Legislation has a related but different intent, Safety in Case of Fire, some countries are expending significant time and resources on developing innovative ways to improve firefighter safety in buildings ... while most countries are not, Some Tasks and Activities in Building Circulation Spaces, Sustainability Implementation, Sustainable Fire Engineering, Sweden, Sweden ... has incorporated all 6 Essential Requirements of EU Construction Products Directive 89/106/EEC into its National Building Regulations, Swissôtel Nankai in Osaka Japan - Building Façade External Walkway, Swissôtel Nankai in Osaka Japan - Room Evacuation Panel to External Façade Walkway, the approximation of laws regulations and administrative provisions of the Member States relating to Construction Products, the clear impression that firefighters are regarded in much the same way as soldiers ... they are a disposable asset, The construction works must be designed and built in such a way that in the event of an outbreak of fire, the safety of rescue teams is taken into consideration, There is no requirement in Part B of the Building Regulations of either of these two separate jurisdictions to consider Firefighter Safety, They are complex ... and quite often they overlap, This architectural feature should be mandatory in the case of high-rise buildings with a single central core, this is a serious legal flaw ... especially since the European Template has existed since the late 1980's, to fight those fires and ensure that they are properly extinguished, to rescue people who are trapped in a Fire Building ... or people who cannot independently evacuate the building, United States of America, with a stair going/tread of 300 mm and a stair riser of 150 mm

“April in Paris !” – Recent Meeting of CIB W14: Fire Safety

2011-04-29:  A Meeting of  CIB Working Commission 14: ‘Fire Safety’  took place at the Headquarters of Groupe AFNOR … Association Française de NORmalisation … which is located just outside the centre of Paris, France … on Monday, 11 April 2011.

These meetings are typically, though not always, co-ordinated with a long series of  ISO Technical Committee 92: ‘Fire Safety’ Meetings at the same venue.  Both technical bodies have a very good working relationship, and there is a strong interchange of membership between the two.  The recent revision to the description and scope of CIB W14 will be of enormous benefit to all.

.

Some Matters of Interest at the CIB W14: ‘Fire Safety’ Meeting – Presentations & Discussions about Two of the Current Pre-Normative Innovation & Research Projects …

1.  CIB W14 Working Group IV: ‘Structural Reliability & Fire-Induced Progressive Collapse’

See the Dedicated Page on this Technical Web Log (Tech-BLOG) Site … http://www.cjwalsh.ie/progressive-collapse-fire/ … for the latest update on the Research Project … which has proposed the following, as a Rational Route Forward …

     A.  Mainstream the Language, Practices, Procedures and Design Methodologies of Fire Science & Engineering … so that other design disciplines can appreciate that Ethical Fire Science & Engineering also has a sound, modern, rational and empirical basis.   [Task for CIB W14]

     B.  Raise awareness about the primacy, and encourage the wide acceptance, of Fire Serviceability Limit States in Structural Fire Engineering … and the universal requirement that buildings must resist Fire-Induced Progressive Collapse and, in addition, also resist Disproportionate Damage.   [Task for CIB W14 Working Group IV]

     C.  Indicate the need for, and foster the development of, innovative Structural Thermal Insulation Fire Protection Systems which are durable, can resist mechanical damage in ambient and fire conditions, and can be properly shown to be ‘fit for their intended life-cycle use’.   [Task for the Fire Industry]

     D.  In steel construction … depending on its location in a building and having designed sufficiently robust connections for fire conditions … show why, where and how Thermal Insulation must now be used to maintain a Lower Temperature in the Steel … in order to ensure that its deformations (+/- deflection, expansion and distortion, etc.) remain within design parameters … both during the fire and, for a minimum period afterwards, during the ‘cooling phase’.   [Task for CIB W14 Working Group IV]

     E.  Encourage the development of Fire Engineering Design Guidelines for new and existing buildings, along with the Decision Support Tools needed for their use in practice … to support #2 and #4 above.  And propose how Existing Code/Regulation Provisions and Standards should be suitably updated and revised.   [Task for the International Fire Science & Engineering Community]

During the discussion which followed my presentation, and having reviewed progress … it was generally felt that the time was now ripe to prepare a Discussion Document for Comment.  This will be circulated about a month before the next meeting of CIB W14 … to be held in October 2011.

2.  CIB W14 Working Group 5: ‘Fire Incident Human Behaviour & Abilities’

The photograph above was actually taken during the presentation of this Research Project … at the time being given by Project Leader, Douglas Hillhouse, Organizer of the Fire Risk Engineering Programme at Glasgow Caledonian University, in Scotland.

Prior to the Paris Meeting, Douglas had circulated a Project Discussion Document for Comment … which was focused mainly on people with disabilities.  The Co-Ordinator of CIB W14, Prof. Dr. George Hadjisophocleous, was pleased to see this Research Project develop and gather momentum.

During the discussion which followed the Presentation, I made the following points …

• The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) was adopted on 13 December 2006; it came into force, i.e. became an International Legal Instrument, on 3 May 2008; and it was ratified by a European Union (E.U.) having, for the first time after the Lisbon Treaty, its own separate legal personality … on 23 December 2010.

In February 2011 … the 2010 European Foundation Centre (EFC) Report: ‘Study on Challenges and Good Practices in the Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities’, was approved for publication by the European Commission.  Under a duty of loyal co-operation, which derives from Article 4.3 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), each E.U. Member State is now obliged to properly implement the critical accessibility-related provisions of the UN CRPD, i.e. Preamble (g) and Articles 4.3, 9, 10, 11, with 31 & 33.

• The Final Draft of International Standard … ISO FDIS 21542: ‘Building Construction – Accessibility & Usability of the Built Environment’ … was registered with ISO Central Secretariat on 17 March 2011.  In spite of the technically flawed submission from ISO Technical Committee 92 to ISO Technical Committee 59, which is responsible for the production of ISO 21542 … we had successfully managed to retain a substantive, and meaningful, body of text relating to Fire Safety for People with Activity Limitations.
• Our concern, throughout this CIB W14 Research Project, would be Fire Safety for All … including people with a wide range of behavioural responses and physical/mental/cognitive/psychological abilities during a fire incident … including people with activity limitations, not just people with disabilities … and firefighters.  The user profile in a ‘real’ building must be viewed as a continuum.
• In attempting to provide better Fire Engineering Design Solutions for people with cognitive impairments, I had realized … many years ago … that the field of Cognitive Psychology offered huge potential for a paradigm shift in Fire Engineering Research.  This potential will be identified in the Project.
• Amongst the International Fire Science and Engineering Community, there is widespread ignorance about Panic and Panic Attacks … this may help to explain the irrational fear about dealing with this important issue … a fear which the WG 5 Project will confront !

.

Of Unrelated Interest ?

During visits to Paris, I regularly ‘pop-in’ to Père Lachaise Cemetery … in the east of the city.  Access is very convenient … the Père Lachaise Métro Station being directly served by Lines 2 & 3.  Here are the last resting places (?) of Some Interesting Personalities …

A.  Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) – Impressionist Painter

.

B.  Jim Morrison (1943-1971) of ‘The DOORS’ – Lead Singer, Songwriter & Poet

.

C.  Maria Callas (1923-1977) – Opera Singer & Diva

.

.

END

Tags: "April in Paris !" - Recent Meeting of CIB W14: Fire Safety, 2010 European Foundation Centre (EFC) Report: 'Study on Challenges and Good Practices in the Implementation of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities', A Meeting of CIB Working Commission 14: 'Fire Safety' took place at the Headquarters of Groupe AFNOR, a Rational Route Forward, Accessibility of buildings for people with disabilities, Accessibility-for-All, Accessible Fire Engineering, AFNOR ... Association Française de NORmalisation, and there is a strong interchange of membership between the two, are durable ... and can resist mechanical damage in ambient and fire conditions, both during the fire and for a minimum period afterwards during the 'cooling phase', Both technical bodies have a very good working relationship, Built Environment, Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) - Impressionist Painter, can be properly shown to be 'fit for their intended life-cycle use', CIB W14 Working Group 5: 'Fire Incident Human Behaviour & Abilities', CIB W14 Working Group IV: 'Structural Reliability & Fire-Induced Progressive Collapse', CJ Walsh, Co-Ordinator of CIB W14 Prof. Dr. George Hadjisophocleous, Decision Support Tools needed for their use in practice, each E.U. Member State is now obliged to properly implement the critical accessibility-related provisions of the UN CRPD, Ethical Fire Science and Engineering also has a sound modern rational and empirical basis, EU, european union, Fire Engineering Design, Fire Engineering Design Guidelines for new and existing buildings, Fire Safety for All, fire-induced progressive collapse, human and social rights, I regularly 'pop-in' to Père Lachaise Cemetery ... in the east of the city, in addition also resist Disproportionate Damage, In attempting to provide better Fire Engineering Design Solutions for people with cognitive impairments, in order to ensure that its deformations (+/- deflection - expansion - distortion etc.) remain within design parameters, In spite of the technically flawed submission from ISO Technical Committee 92, In steel construction ... depending on its location in a building and having designed sufficiently robust connections for fire conditions, including people with a wide range of behavioural responses and physical/mental/cognitive/psychological abilities during a fire incident, including people with activity limitations not just people with disabilities ... and firefighters, innovative Structural Thermal Insulation Fire Protection Systems, International Fire Science and Engineering Community, International Legal Instrument, ISO FDIS 21542: 'Building Construction - Accessibility & Usability of the Built Environment', it was generally felt that the time was now ripe to prepare a Discussion Document for Comment, Jim Morrison (1943-1971) of 'The DOORS' - Lead Singer Songwriter and Poet, Mainstream the Language Practices Procedures and Design Methodologies of Fire Science & Engineering, Maria Callas (1923-1977) - Opera Singer & Diva, People with Activity Limitations (2001 WHO ICF), Personnes à Performances Réduites (2001 WHO ICF), photograph, Preamble (g) and Articles 4.3 - 9 - 10 - 11 - with 31 and 33, Presentations & Discussions about Two of the Current Pre-Normative Innovation & Research Projects, propose how Existing Code/Regulation Provisions and Standards should be suitably updated and revised, Raise awareness about the primacy of Fire Serviceability Limit States in Structural Fire Engineering, Research Project Leader Douglas Hillhouse - Organizer of the Fire Risk Engineering Programme at Glasgow Caledonian University in Scotland, See the Dedicated Page on this Technical Web Log (Tech-BLOG) Site, Some Matters of Interest at the CIB W14: 'Fire Safety' Meeting, Sustainable Fire Engineering, Task for CIB W14, Task for CIB W14 Working Group IV, Task for the Fire Industry, Task for the International Fire Science & Engineering Community, Technical Control of Construction, the field of Cognitive Psychology offered huge potential for a paradigm shift in Fire Engineering Research, The Final Draft of International Standard ... ISO FDIS 21542 ... was registered with ISO Central Secretariat on 17 March 2011, the last resting places (?) of Some Interesting Personalities ..., The UN CRPD was ratified by a European Union (E.U.) having for the first time after the Lisbon Treaty its own separate legal personality ... on 23 December 2010, the universal requirement that buildings must resist Fire-Induced Progressive Collapse, The user profile in a 'real' building must be viewed as a continuum, there is widespread ignorance about Panic and Panic Attacks, Thermal Insulation must now be used to maintain a Lower Temperature in the Steel, These meetings are co-ordinated with a long series of ISO Technical Committee 92: 'Fire Safety' Meetings at the same venue, this may help to explain the irrational fear about dealing with this important issue, This will be circulated about a month before the next meeting of CIB W14 ... to be held in October 2011, UN CRPD became an International Legal Instrument on 3 May 2008, Under a duty of loyal co-operation which derives from Article 4.3 of the Treaty on European Union (TEU), United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), we had successfully managed to retain a substantive and meaningful body of text relating to Fire Safety for People with Activity Limitations

Vienna & ‘The Third Man’ – Film Locations (II)

2011-02-14 …

The 1949 film: The Third Man - directed by Carol Reed, with the haunting zither music of Anton Karas, and starring Joseph Cotton, Alida Valli, Orson Welles and Trevor Howard … also ‘stars’ the war-damaged city of Vienna, in Austria.

The film screenplay, based on his own original story, was written by Graham Greene.

Late in the Film … having discovered that Harry Lime (Orson Welles) is, after all, alive … Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) demands to meet him at the Prater Giant Ferris Wheel …

Holly and Harry Lime Meet at the Prater Giant Ferris Wheel

Click the Link Above to Download and/or View this Film Scene Clip (Flash Video File, 4.40 Mb)

.

.

Wiener Prater – the Prater in Vienna – is a large public park situated in the centre-city district of ‘Leopoldstadt’ … and located between the River Danube (German: Donau) and the Danube Canal.  The Wurstelprater Amusement Park stands at one corner of the Prater and includes the Riesenrad (English: Giant Ferris Wheel).

.

.

.

The Prater Giant Ferris Wheel was built in 1896-97 by the engineer, Walter B. Basset … a retired British naval officer.  He also built similar Wheels – very popular at the end of the 19th Century – in Chicago, London, Blackpool and Paris.  Only the Prater Ferris Wheel, in Vienna, survives today.

.

.

The Giant Ferris Wheel is 61.0 metres in diameter and turns with a speed of 0.75 m per second.  On a clear day, it presents a magnificent panorama of the city from each of its 15 cabins.

.

.

.

.

.

END

Tags: also ‘stars’ the war-damaged city of Vienna in Austria, and starring Joseph Cotton - Alida Valli - Orson Welles - Trevor Howard, Built Environment, directed by Carol Reed, having discovered that Harry Lime (Orson Welles) is alive ... Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) demands to meet him at the Prater Giant Ferris Wheel, Holly and Harry Lime Meet at the Prater Giant Ferris Wheel, Late in the Film ..., located between the River Danube (German: Donau) and the Danube Canal, On a clear day it presents a magnificent panorama of the city from each of its 15 cabins, Only the Prater Ferris Wheel in Vienna survives today, Social Environment, The 1949 film: The Third Man, The film screenplay - based on his own original story - was written by Graham Greene, The Giant Ferris Wheel is 61.0 metres in diameter and turns with a speed of 0.75 m per second, The Prater Giant Ferris Wheel was built in 1896-97 by the engineer Walter B. Basset, The Wurstelprater Amusement Park stands at one corner of the Prater and includes the Riesenrad (English: Giant Ferris Wheel), Vienna & 'The Third Man' - Film Locations (II), Wiener Prater - the Prater in Vienna - is a large public park situated in the centre-city district of 'Leopoldstadt', with the haunting zither music of Anton Karas

Hazards in Attic Roof Spaces – A Strong Dose of ‘Reality’ !

It’s all happening here !   From trawling the depths of European Union (EU) Legislation in my last Post … to the heights of Attic Roof Spaces in Ireland … what a magnificent contrast !!

This Post has nothing to do with this law, or that law … or the proper technical control of these sorts of troubling situations.  It has everything to do with a strong dose of ‘Reality’ … and the typical sorts of Serious Hazards which lurk quietly, unannounced and generally unheeded in most houses … houses which are occupied by ordinary, average people.

The following photographs could have been taken in almost any house, anywhere in the country !   These particular photographs, however, were taken during a House Inspection for a good friend, somewhere in County Wicklow, during May 2010 …

.

.

.

.

.

.

There are simple Design and Construction Solutions to all of these problems … and Competent, Independent Technical Control over the works being carried out is absolutely essential.

BUT … Dysfunctional Government Departments and State Agencies are still … to this day … directly sponsoring and knowingly contributing to these hazardous situations in our homes !

.

.

END

Tags: a House Inspection for a good friend somewhere in County Wicklow during May 2010, a strong dose of 'Reality', a very badly constructed party wall ... see the many gaps in the joints between the concrete blocks, after I had pulled back a portion of thermal insulation - where the insulation had completely covered a downlighter, Attic Roof Spaces in Ireland, BER Certificate, Building Energy Rating, Built Environment, Careless Hot Works are a major cause of fires in ALL building types, chipboard to hold all of the clutter covers the transformers as well, CJ Walsh, Client Organizations, Competent Independent Technical Control over the works being carried out is absolutely essential, Department of Communications Energy and Natural Resources, Department of the Environment Heritage and Local Government (DEHLG), Dysfunctional Government Departments and State Agencies are still directly sponsoring and knowingly contributing to these hazardous situations in our homes, Energy Ireland (SEI), Energy Performance of Buildings, expect more fall accidents through ceilings in the future, exposing them to freezing external conditions during cold winter nights, Fire Safety, Fire Scorched Thermal Insulation - Careless Hot Works by a Plumber, Hazards in Attic Roof Spaces - A Strong Dose of 'Reality', houses which are occupied by ordinary average people, Inadequately Constructed Party Wall and Sloppy DIY Electrics, Ireland, Junction of Party Wall & Roof - Inevitable Rapid Spread of Heat Smoke and Flames, Just because a wall is made of masonry ... do not for a single moment assume that it is either smoke resisting or sound resisting, NO fire separation between this house and the neighbouring house at the junction between the party wall and the roof covering, note the trap doorset is not fire and smoke resisting, once fire enters this Attic Roof Space those thin metal connecting plates in the roof trusses will rapidly lose strength and the entire roof will then collapse, photograph, Smoke Detectors should always be fitted in these Spaces as a matter of routine, Statutory Instrument No 666 of 2006 - European Communities (Energy Performance of Buildings) Regulations 2006, Technical Control of Construction, The following photographs could have been taken in almost any house anywhere in the country, the typical clutter which can accumulate over time in an Attic Roof Space, the typical sorts of Serious Hazards which lurk quietly - unannounced - generally unheeded in most houses, There are simple Design and Construction Solutions to all of these problems, Thermal Insulation 'Trapping' Downlighters, Thermal Insulation Choking Eaves Roof Ventilation, thermal insulation packed tightly into the roof eaves ... choking off essential ventilation pathways, Thermal insulation was also placed under the water storage tanks, Thick multi-layered thermal insulation will also conceal the bottom horizontal members in all types of timber roof construction, trussed timber roof, Typical Attic Roof Space Clutter - A Fire Hazard

Japan in April and May 2010 … Accessibility-for-All !

2010-10-20:  In Europe … we are experts at talking about an Accessible Built Environment … and hopeless when it comes to effective implementation …

Built Environment:  Anywhere there is, or has been, a man-made or wrought (worked) intervention by humans in the natural environment, e.g. cities, towns, villages, rural settlements, roads, bridges, tunnels, transport systems, service utilities, and cultivated lands, lakes, rivers, coasts, seas, etc. … including the Virtual Environment.

Virtual Environment:  A designed environment, electronically-generated from within the Built Environment, which may have the appearance, form, functionality and impact – to the person perceiving and actually experiencing it – of a real, imagined and/or utopian world.

However, I would like to share not just one single moment in Japan, but a Series of Special Moments … where I was observing and studying, up close and personal, the ‘real’ implementation of Accessibility-for-All in Public Places … including some discrete detailing at the Main Gate to Kanazawa Castle … Ishikawa-mon.

When I say Accessibility-for-All … I mean Accessibility Design, with all of the rambling philosophical bullshit removed.  The emphasis can then properly be placed on a high level of quality in Actual Accessibility Performance provided for users of the built environment … all users, because many of the details shown in the photographs below make movement in and around public places safer and more convenient for everybody.

Some of the many Aspects in Japan which, together, facilitate this high level of quality in Actual Accessibility Performance …

• A robust legal base mandating the provision of Accessibility-for-All ;
• Determined political will ;
• Sufficient financial resources ;
• A compassionate and understanding bureaucracy – at all levels in society ;
• Competence, i.e. education, training and experience, of spatial planners, architects, engineers, quantity surveyors, etc … and members of construction organizations ;
• Innovative, well-designed accessibility-related products which can be shown to be ‘fit for their intended use’.

The following European Guideline Framework … which I drafted in 2003, and later incorporated into the 2004 Rio de Janeiro Declaration on Sustainable Social Development, Disability & Ageing … is useful …

C.J. Walsh

Guideline Framework on EU Equal Opportunity & Social Inclusion for All

Click the Link Above to read and/or download PDF File (82kb)

.

Much of the Accessibility Detailing in Japan far exceeds, in quality of performance, what is described in the Proposed International Standards Organization (ISO) Accessibility-for-All Standard … to be published, hopefully(!), in 2011 … and here is a small taste …

.

.

.

.

It is important to link one activity/task/function with the next … (please ignore the awkward step up at the entrance to the train carriage … instead, look at the wonderful entrance detail in the next photograph below) …

.

What a beauty !

.

Common everywhere … a closer look at the information which can very easily be provided on all handrails …

.

The Main Gate to Kanazawa Castle … Ishikawa-mon …

.

.

.

END

Tags: 2004 Rio de Janeiro Declaration on Sustainable Social Development Disability and Ageing, Accessibility Design with all of the rambling philosophical bullshit removed, Accessibility Detailing in Japan, Accessibility-for-All, Built Environment, Built Environment ... Anywhere there is - or has been - a man-made or wrought (worked) intervention by humans in the natural environment, CJ Walsh, Client Organizations, compassionate and understanding bureaucracy - at all levels in society, Competence of spatial planners - architects - engineers - quantity surveyors - etc ... and members of construction organizations, Determined political will, emphasis can then properly be placed on a high level of quality in Actual Accessibility Performance, EU, european union, Guideline Framework on EU Equal Opportunity and Social Inclusion, hopeless when it comes to effective implementation, human and social rights, I would like to share not just one single moment in Japan but a Series of Special Moments, In Europe ... we are experts at talking about an Accessible Built Environment, Innovative well-designed accessibility-related products which can be shown to be 'fit for their intended use', It is important to link one activity/task/function with the next, Japan in April & May 2010 - Accessibility-for-All, many of the details shown in the photographs below make movement in and around public places safer and more convenient for everybody, People with Activity Limitations (2001 WHO ICF), Personnes à Performances Réduites (2001 WHO ICF), photograph, Proposed International Standards Organization (ISO) Accessibility-for-All Standard, provided for all users of the built environment, robust legal base mandating the provision of Accessibility-for-All, some discrete detailing at the Main Gate to Kanazawa Castle ... Ishikawa-mon, Some of the many Aspects in Japan which - together - facilitate this high level of quality in Actual Accessibility Performance, Sufficient financial resources, Sustainability Implementation, Sustainable Design, Sustainable Human & Social Development, the 'real' implementation of Accessibility-for-All in Public Places