Fire Protection and Life Safety Analysis- Dell Medical School Academic Building

Author

David Gramlich, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis ObispoFollow

Date

6-2014

Degree Name

MS in Fire Protection Engineering

College

College of Engineering

Advisor

Frederick Mowrer and Christopher Pascual

Abstract

This report is on the Dell Medical School Academic Building located in Austin, Texas. The life safety and prescriptive based code requirements are summarized within this report. It also includes conceptual fire protection and fire alarm system design. This report mentions University of Texas System Owner’s Design Guidelines that exceed the required code requirements. This report was developed when the building was in the Design Development stage. Since, code deficiencies have been addressed, and changes have been made to the building during the remainder of the design process, this report does not reflect the actual construction or protection strategies used for this building. The building includes an atrium that requires a smoke management system by code. The smoke management system was the focus of the performance based design. The smoke management system was designed in accordance with CFD modeling and exceeds the requirements found in NFPA 92. As a result from CFD modeling, it is recommended that corridors that were originally included in the atrium design be excluded from the atrium space in order to reduce smoke entrainment within these corridors. Conservative assumptions were made throughout the performance based design in order to ensure all occupants can egress the building safely in the event of a fire scenario. Egress modeling was performed utilizing hand calculations. Hand calculations were deemed to provide an accurate estimation for egress time, as occupant loads and exits were evenly distributed throughout the upper floors of the building. At the time of this report, both stairs discharged within the atrium. Therefore, egress modeling was required for the entire building, as opposed to just the atrium, in order to satisfy the requirement that CFD modeling must be performed for 1.5 times the calculated egress time.

DOI

10.15368/fperpt.2014.19