Smoke Control - Elevator Lobbies

In Smoke Control - Elevator Lobbies , you'll learn ...

• Selective smoke movement studies performed over the last four decades
• Examples of historical fires demonstrating rapid vertical smoke movement through high rise buildings
• Why selective evacuation in high rise buildings became an accepted practice and how elevators can be used to facilitate complete evacuations
• Recommendations to improve the reliability of elevators for emergency evacuation

Overview

Credit: 2 PDH

Length: 22 pages

The issue of smoke migration through elevator lobbies is receiving significant attention in the building code arena. Some proponents of elevator lobby enclosures indicate as much as 80 % of the smoke spread in buildings is through the elevator shafts. Thus, elevator lobby protection (i.e., enclosures) would ensure that smoke migration through a building is minimal.

Additionally, it has been suggested that protected elevator lobbies would provide staging areas for fire department operations, disabled occupants, and possibly building tenants. Opponents indicate that the elevator lobby protection provisions are costly and would provide little if any additional safety.

This course presents the results of a literature review conducted to identify existing research related to smoke movement through elevator shafts and protection of these shafts. The focus is on smoke spread through elevator shafts and lobbies, building occupant and fire fighter use of elevators during fire emergencies, and computer software for evaluating elevator performance during fires.