An innovative evacuation plan that uses lifts to transport people to safety, a concept previously thought too difficult in multi-storey buildings, has been implemented in one of the world’s tallest buildings in Melbourne. Engineering firm, Norman Disney & Young (NDY), was responsible for design at the Eureka Tower apartment complex at Southbank, which uses lifts in case of a fire or other emergencies.

The key challenge in developing an appropriate evacuation strategy at Eureka Tower was the height of the building and the potential number of occupants. At 92-storeys and with over 550 apartments, the project placed heavy demands on the time taken for evacuation, rescue, fire fighting and the preservation of the building. NDY’s solution was to implement a fire engineering design that separated the tower into three zones: the evacuation zone, the refuge zone and transfer floors.

“In the event of an emergency, people will be directed to leave the evacuation zone by using the stairways to take refuge in the designated transfer areas. They will then catch lifts which shuttle them to the ground floor,” says Sam Aloi, head of NDY’s Fire Protection Services Design division.

The refuge zones needed to be appropriately sized to accommodate the expected number of people, with consideration given to call the lift to the transfer floor, while also providing a safe area for the duration required for the evacuating lifts to arrive. The solution gives Eureka Tower active and passive fire safety measures, including a combined automatic fire sprinkler and hydrant hose reel system, fire and smoke compartment, a fire detection and alarm system and a smoke hazard management system.

Vital to the development of the Eureka Tower fire engineering solution was the use of software developed in the UK, known as buildingExodus. The software is ideal for use when an assessment of people movement within complicated building designs is required.

“The three-dimensional simulation used exclusively by NDY in Australia can be applied to supermarkets, hospitals, cinemas, rail stations, airport terminals, schools, stadium, as well as high-rise buildings,” Aloi says. “Factors such as occupant bottle-necking, overcrowding and severe congestion can be viewed clearly so that appropriate measures can be implemented to optimise the evacuation procedure.

The model tracks the trajectory of each individual and can factor in variables such as age, height, weight, gender, travel speed, heat and toxicity resistance as well as extreme behaviour, impatience, smoke stagger, crawling and more.” The use of the virtual reality tool vrExodus also allows the building Exodus simulation to be displayed in a three dimensional video.

Architecture & Design Team

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