The effect of domed and hip roof coverings on mosque design in case of fire

Abstract

The architectural design seeks solutions to many problems, one of which is designing buildings that can quickly and safely evacuate people. Mosques, which are places of worship and multifunctional gathering centers for Muslims, are significant buildings in terms of fire research because they often host many people at the same time. However, there is a lack of research on fire safety in mosques. This study focuses on the consequences of different scenarios and types of mosque roof design, with a capacity of 500 people, as produced by the Turkiye Presidency of Religious Affairs. The examined scenarios are Scenario 1 (500 kW fire size) and Scenario 2 (1000 kW fire size), and the investigated roof types of mosques are Type 1 (hip roof) and Type 2 (dome). In the analyzed scenarios, it was observed that the dome roof type in the examined mosque design extended the evacuation time by around 10–35%. The dome creates a space for storing smoke, which reduces the spread of smoke in the main room and raises the ASET. This study recommends expanding the scope of future research by incorporating a greater variety of fire scenarios and roof covering types in mosques, while also investigating the impact of natural ventilation openings on evacuation times.