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Teaching the integration of safety and fire protection elements into the building design process

Abstract

Summarized within the following article are the attempts made over an eight-year time period at the Illinois Institute of Technology to improve the skills of its Architecture and Architectural Engineering Students with regards to the integration of safety and fire protection into the building design process. System integration has long been recognized as the key to an effective and efficient building operating building. The process involved in the integration of a fire protection subsystem, along with additional MEP subsystems within a building is quite challenging, and can have a profound impact on the client’s satisfaction. This process becomes especially important once further technological system integration within a proposed building is considered in addition to the possibility of future system upgrades and their incorporation into the structure, as newer technologies enter the market place. The objective of this paper is to discuss the project-based learning integrated with formal lectures approach in which the goal is the integration of safety and fire protection measures into the building design process to achieve the most efficient, economical, and environmentally friendly design.

Introduction

Life Safety and Fire protection are an essential part of the MEP design process. This is why safety and fire protection should be considered as an integral part of the Architectural Engineering curriculum and should be addressed early on in the design process. Architectural Engineering as a single integrated field of study, compared to other engineering disciplines, is in and of itself a multi-disciplined engineering approach. Architectural Engineering includes the design of various building systems including heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), plumbing, fire protection, electrical, lighting, and structural systems. The Illinois Institute of Technology (IIT) developed an extensive fire protection program comprised of a comprehensive set of courses, including:

Sprinklers, Standpipes, Fire Pumps, Special Suppression and Detection Systems (CAE 422): review and introduction to fluid dynamics applied to sprinklers, standpipes, fire pumps, and special suppression systems; hydraulic design criteria and procedures for sprinklers requirements, standpipes, fire pumps, special suppression systems, and detection and alarm systems using nationally recognized design (National Fire Protection Association) standards, water supply requirement systems and distributions. Introduction to Fire Dynamic (CAE 424) & Dynamics of Fire (CAE 510): introduction to fire, physics and chemistry, and mass and heat transfer principles, fire fluid mechanic fundamentals, fundamentals and requirements of the burning of materials (gases, liquids, and solids), fire phenomena in enclosures such as pre-flashover and post-flashover.

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Megri, A. (2009, June), Teaching The Integration Of Safety And Fire Protection Elements Into The Building Design Process Paper presented at 2009 Annual Conference & Exposition, Austin, Texas. 10.18260/1-2--5859