A Review of Building Evacuation Models - NIST Virtual Library
A Review of Building Evacuation Models - NIST Virtual Library
A Review of Building Evacuation Models - NIST Virtual Library
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where v is the speed <strong>of</strong> the evacuee (m/s) and d is the density in persons/m 2 .<br />
Use <strong>of</strong> fire data: None.<br />
Output: As the model captures the movement patterns <strong>of</strong> the evacuees, it provides output in the<br />
form <strong>of</strong> evacuation times <strong>of</strong> the entire building and certain building components/zones<br />
throughout the building.<br />
Import CAD drawings: Yes. Part <strong>of</strong> the SGEM package involves the AutoCAD recognition<br />
module.<br />
As part <strong>of</strong> the package, there is an Automatic Region Generator (ARG) that can capture<br />
architectural information from CAD plans and rebuilds the regions (and their topological<br />
relationships). Also, the ARG identifies the evacuation directions <strong>of</strong> the occupants at each<br />
portal. The capturing process involves three different stages:<br />
• Formatting: The “loose” information from the CAD plans are reformatted and<br />
unnecessary information is removed.<br />
• Recognition: The formatted information forms the regions/zones within the building<br />
• Corrective: The user is required to redefine any unrecognized parts <strong>of</strong> the CAD plans.<br />
Visualization capabilities: Yes, this is part <strong>of</strong> the SGEM package labeled as the output module.<br />
The output can be provided in 2-D by this model.<br />
Validation studies: One exercise that was performed with the SGEM model to demonstrate the<br />
model’s ability to cope with difficult or complex geometries and a large population using a floor<br />
plan <strong>of</strong> a shopping mall. In addition, exercises were run with the model using the floor plans <strong>of</strong> a<br />
karaoke establishment. These exercises showed that the model recognized a change in overall<br />
evacuation time <strong>of</strong> the establishment when varying the width <strong>of</strong> the main corridor. However,<br />
with the exercises, there was no comparison made with other models or data (drill or actual) 85 .<br />
A comparison <strong>of</strong> the model results to a field test was performed using a lecture theater in City<br />
University in Hong Kong 86 . A controlled evacuation drill was conducted and recorded at various<br />
locations in order to collect the necessary data for a comparison with the model. The purpose <strong>of</strong><br />
the drill was to capture the overall evacuation time, the flow pattern <strong>of</strong> the occupants, and the<br />
walking speeds <strong>of</strong> the occupants at different points throughout the theater. 82 students<br />
participated in the drill and were told to evacuate via the front door at the sound <strong>of</strong> the alarm.<br />
The total evacuation time was recorded as 66 s. The input consisted <strong>of</strong> dividing the lecture<br />
theater into 9 zones and assuming a uniform speed <strong>of</strong> 0.6 m/s for occupants at the seats and 1.3<br />
m/s through the wider areas and doorways. According to the article, the evacuation time varied<br />
with the initial positions <strong>of</strong> the 82 students among the 140 available seats in the theater. By<br />
varying initial occupant location, the evacuation time for the theater ranged from 58.4 s to 61.9 s,<br />
with an average time <strong>of</strong> 60.1 s and a standard deviation <strong>of</strong> 1.54 s. The predicted mean<br />
evacuation time (with a response time <strong>of</strong> 0) plus the few seconds <strong>of</strong> response time for the<br />
occupants in the actual event came close to the drill time <strong>of</strong> 66 s, according to the article 86 . The<br />
evacuation time <strong>of</strong> the theater versus the number <strong>of</strong> occupants in the theater is provided in<br />
A-73