Evacuation processes comparison in multi-family residential buildings

Abstract

In this research, a comparison is developed in the evacuation times of a social interest housing project (VIS) that can be generated from specific changes in its dimensions and the type of construction (i.e., VIS, not VIS). For this, the architectural plans of two multi-family residential projects were initially obtained and by means of the Viswalk® computer tool several evacuation scenarios were run modifying the densities of the buildings and the dimensions of evacuation elements in accordance with the compared regulations. Through this process, it was found that by increasing the measures of the evacuation elements (i.e., width of doors, stairs, other means of evacuation and length of landings) a minimum increase in the efficiency of the evacuation of buildings is achieved. Additionally, it was found that VIS buildings present greater evacuation efficiency due to the architectural distribution of said buildings that reduce displacements within the building. Through this article, more conscientious constructions can be developed in terms of the design of the evacuation elements so that they fulfill their function.

Keywords

• evacuation
• security
• viswalk
• social housing