- Author
- Averill, J. D.
- Title
- Emergency Egress and Access.
- Coporate
- National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD
- Report
- CTBUH2005
- Book or Conf
- Renewing the Urban Landscape. 7th World Congress. Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH2005). Proceedings. October 16-19, 2005, New York City, NY, 2005
- Keywords
- high rise buildings | urban habitat | egress | emergencies | training | management systems
- Abstract
- Tall buildings present a unique and challenging egress environment. The very aspect ratio which makes tall buildings economically desirable accentuates the impact of egress and other building systems. Further, recent events have raised important questions about the egress design and procedural assumptions traditionally used in tall building design. This presentation will discuss how technology, training, and emergency management can address the challenges of tall building egress and access. Elevators will likely play a key future role in both fire department access and occupant egress, particularly for mobility challenged-occupants. Coordination and information flow between building systems, building management, emergency responders, call centers, and occupants will be discussed. These are presented in the context of the findings and recommendations of the NIST World Trade Center Investigation with regard to recommended changes to codes, standards, and practices.