Date

6-2014

Degree Name

MS in Fire Protection Engineering

College

College of Engineering

Advisor

Frederick Mowrer and Christopher Pascual

Abstract

This document is the report of the culminating experience as part of the master’s program in fire protection engineering at the California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo. This report contains a life safety analysis of the fire protection systems of a chosen project building. The building examined is the Robert and Margrit Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, located on the University of California Davis campus. The building was constructed in 2002 where the first performance occurred in October 2002. A large portion of the report applies prescriptive code requirements to evaluate compliance with current codes and standards. The analysis involves the requirements for construction, structural fire protection, occupant egress, fire detection and alarm, and fire suppression. The final section of the report is a performance based analysis of two fire scenarios including the lobby atrium and the main theater stage locations. The Available Safe Egress Time (ASET) versus Required Safe Egress Time (RSET) model was used to evaluate the performance of the fire protection systems in each space. A tenability analysis was used to produce the ASET for occupants to escape the building. To evaluate tenability conditions in each space during a fire, Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) was used. To estimate the RSET, Pathfinder was used to estimate occupant egress times from the space. The performance based analysis provides recommendations to reduce the risk or consequences of a fire in each space. Recommendations for both spaces involve the removal of fuel sources from the space and should be considered a high risk if not removed without further analysis showing otherwise. The fuel source within the lobby was already planned before this report was created. Even though the author believes this report to be valid, it should be noted that this report was an academic exercise and consultation with a licensed professional engineer should occur before changes are made to the building.

Paterson- J_Presentation_FPE 596.pdf (10037 kB)
Final Presentation

DOI

10.15368/fperpt.2014.8

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