Fire Risk Mitigation at Urban Scale in Commercial Buildings of Kumbakonam Town

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Urban growth in old south Indian traditional towns results in overcrowded and chaotic developments which compromises occupant’s safety especially from fire. The fire risk associated in built environment needs to be analyzed by understanding the changes in built form and built environment by a systematic procedure which can support fire mitigation strategies at urban scale. For the purpose of study, Kumbakonam which is a traditional south Indian town with rapid urbanization and change in urban fabric is identified as a case example. The methodology tries to identify problems in selected areas of kumbakonam town from the perspective of fire hazard by identifying commercial typologies in and around the core areas of old towns and analyzing them. This involves documentation of 4 commercial typology buildings selected in core area and analyzing for associated fire risk by comparing with norms outlined by NBC (2016). The purpose of the research is to highlight the presence of fire risks in commercial buildings of kumbakonam with minimum exit widths, increased occupancy load and maximum travel distance of means of egress. The findings can be a prologue to further research and decision making process for the safety of the occupants.