The effects of exit position and internal layout of classroom on evacuation efficiency

Abstract

On the basis of the previous cellular automaton evacuation model, we modify the method of calculating the pedestrians transition probability with considering the effect of aisle region in the classroom-like buildings, and analyze the difference among evcuation efficiencies imduced by different exit positions and different layoutt inside classrooms. The results demonstrate that it is very beneficial when the exit faces the aisle, that it is useful to set up exit on the side of the classroom compared with exit which is on the edge of the facing classroom in order to reduce the change in direction of pedestrian movement,that the exit situated at the central position in the front of classroom is the most efficient, however, is unrealistic; in addition, when the classroom is designed to have a side exit, the aisle is necessarily close to the exit side of the wall; when the total capacity of the classroom is fixed, we should give a priority to the design of aisle distribution, rather than the design of the arrangement of chairs and tables; the number of aisles is more significant to affect the evacuation efficiency than the width of a single aisle, the larger the number arisles is, the higher the evacuation efficiency will be. This paper is expected to be able to make suggestions for the design of internal layout and exit position of the classroom, as well as the design of the distribution of grandstand seats and aisles in similar buildings, such as theaters, stadiums, etc.