Large Public Buildings Research Articles

Lessons from the evacuation of the world trade centre, 9/11 2001 for the development of computer-based simulations

This paper reviews the state-of-the-art in evacuation simulations. These interactive computer based tools have been developed to help the owners and designers of large public buildings to assess the risks that occupants might face during emergency egress. The development of the Glasgow Evacuation Simulator is used to illustrate the existing generation of tools. This system uses Monte Carlo techniques to control individual and group movements during an evacuation. The end-user can interactively open and block emergency exits at any point. It is also possible to alter the priorities that individuals associate with particular exit routes. A final benefit is that the tool can derive evacuation simulations directly from existing architects, models; this reduces the cost of simulations and creates a more prominent role for these tools in the iterative development of large-scale public buildings. Empirical studies have been used to validate the GES system as a tool to support evacuation training. The development of these tools has been informed by numerous human factors studies and by recent accident investigations. For example the 2003 fire in the Station nightclub in Rhode Island illustrated the way in which most building occupants retrace their steps to an entrance even when there are alternate fire exits. The second half of the paper uses this introduction to criticise the existing state-of-the-art in evacuation simulations. These criticisms are based on a detailed study of the recent findings from the 9/11 Commission (2004). Ten different lessons are identified. Some relate to the need to better understand the role of building management and security systems in controlling egress from public buildings. Others relate to the human factors involved in coordinating distributed groups of emergency personnel who may be physically exhausted by the demands of an evacuation. Arguably, the most important findings centre on the need to model the ingress and egress of emergency personnel from these structures. The previous focus of nearly all-existing simulation tools has been on the evacuation of building occupants rather than on the safety of first responders.

So, Design Me a Box–Part Three

ABSTRACT This is the third part of the series concerning the building of a new Central Library for the Jacksonville Public Library via a design competition. In this segment, the resolution of the historic buildings issue is presented as well as an examination of some of the questions raised by the four architectural firms involved in the competition. A tour of already completed new large public library buildings is also discussed.

Animal Figures in the Basilical Building Mosaics at Roman Sepphoris, Lower Galilee, Israel

Animal pictorial representations appear in the floor mosaics of a large public building at the site of Sepphoris, a major city in the Galilee during the Roman period. Zoological subjects include six fish, four birds, and two mammals. Only a few of these animals, however, are represented in the archaeological faunal remains. The mosaic zoological depictions were most likely derived from pattern books as some of these subjects also appear in other Roman site mosaics in identical stylistic renderings.

How to initiate evacuation movement in public buildings

Research and experience show that occupants tend to ignore fire alarm signals and continue their activities in large public buildings. Alternative means to alert the public in the event of an emergency and to initiate evacuation movement are discussed. The use of a standardized Temporal‐Three fire alarm signal is advocated to ensure occupant recognition of the fire alarm. Also, a communication system combined with closed‐circuit televisions (CCTVs) is recommended to convey precise information to the public. Building managers are considered responsible for developing a fire safety plan, and for ensuring that employees are well trained and that communication among staff is efficient in order to transmit information to the public that will prompt fast and safe evacuation movement.

Generating Virtual Environments to Allow Increased Access to the Built Environment

The problems encountered by individuals with disabilities when accessing large public buildings is described and a solution based on the generation of virtual models of the built environment is proposed. These models are superimposed on a control network infrastructure, currently utilised in intelligent building applications such as lighting, heating and access control. The use of control network architectures facilitates the creation of distributed models that closely mirror both the physical and control properties of the environment. The model of the environment is kept local to the installation which allows the virtual representation of a large building to be decomposed into an interconnecting series of smaller models. This paper describes two methods of interacting with the virtual model, firstly a two dimensional aural representation that can be used as the basis of a portable navigational device. Secondly an augmented reality called DAMOCLES that overlays additional information on a user's normal field of view. The provision of virtual environments offers new possibilities in the man-machine interface so that intuitive access to network based services and control functions can be given to a user.

Biofilm Development on 304 and 316 Stainless Steels in a Potable Water System

AbstractInstances of rapid failure of copper‐pipe plumbing in potable‐water systems installed in large municipal buildings have led to a review of the use of alternative materials including stainless steel. This paper reports the findings of an in‐situ study which investigated biofilm development on types 304 and 316 stainless‐steel piping in a filtered and unfiltered, hot and cold‐water supply system installed in a large public building in the west of Scotland. This building had experienced severe corrosion problems with copper pipework.

NIH Reinvention activities: Status report

This study reports on the requirements for developing computer-interpretable rules for checking the compliance of a building design in a request for proposal (RFP), especially in the building information modeling (BIM) environment. It focuses on RFPs for large public buildings (over 5 million dollars) in South Korea, which generally entail complex designs. A total of 27 RFPs for housing, office, exhibition, hospital, sports center, and courthouse projects were analyzed to develop computer-interpreted RFP rules. Each RFP was composed of over 1800 sentences. Of these, only three to 366 sentences could be translated into a computer-interpretable sentence. For further analysis, this study deployed context-free grammar (CFG) in natural language processing, and classified morphemes into four categories: i.e., object (noun), method (verb), strictness (modal), and others. The subcategorized morphemes included three types of objects, twenty-nine types of methods, and five levels of strictness. The coverage applicability of the derived objects and methods was checked and validated against three additional RFP cases and then through a test case using a newly developed model checker system. The findings are expected to be useful as a guideline and basic data for system developers in the development of a generalized automated design checking system for South Korea.

Delivering the well-tempered institution of 1873

The Museum of Natural History, London, typified the state of environmental service design in large public buildings when construction started in 1873, as described in an earlier paper in arq, vol. 2. Its exemplary systems included both ventilation with heating and the architect's use of towers, especially the novel multi-sleeved versions which he described as ‘thermosyphonic’, as ventilation exhausts. This paper describes how, both in critical design decisions during construction and in physical adjustments made after its occupation in 1881, the Museum reveals both contemporary practices and the professional skills of its architect and engineer.

Seismic analysis of complex structures: Practical application issues and case study

All large structures are vulnerable to earthquake damage. Local failures or total collapses of such structures represent not only immediate concern for loss of life and repair costs, but also major economic impacts due to loss of service. The 1989 Loma Prieta and 1994 Northridge earthquakes in California provided dramatic examples of the vulnerability of engineered structures and the extensive impact of their failure in regions classified as high seismic risk zones. Today, engineers throughout the world are faced with increasing requirements to assess the seismic vulnerability of existing structures, even in regions of relatively low seismic risk classification, and to design new, more sophisticated structures. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the particular features and benefits of ADINA with respect to the requirements of advanced seismic analysis. Major aspects of earthquake related analysis are discussed, i.e. static lateral push-over analysis, ground motion specification for dynamic analysis, and significant structural behavior phenomena associated with contact and ductile energy dissipation. The modelling of typical structural components is presented and analysis strategies are delineated via case study of a large public building. In addition to issues related to the as-built structure analysis, the philosophy of accommodating displacements via the deformation of highly ductile components or dampers introduced at existing expansion joint hinges and other appropriate structural locations is presented along with the requisite modelling requirements. With respect to post-processing, typical structural component performance is illustrated via monotonic and hysteretic energy characterizations as well as with standard displacement and force demand data. A summary of the analytical issues and their simulation within ADINA especially with respect to new capabilities, is also provided.

"Great Projects" or Mediocre Designs?

FOR THE LAST 15 OR 20 YEARS, but especially in the last ten, public agencies have been practicing an active architectural politics.' This has enriched the Parisian landscape with les projets du President, since this is the designation given to l'Opera de la Bastille, la Pyramide and the extension of the Louvre, the park and la Cit6 de la Musique at La Villete, l'Arche de la Defense, I'Institut du Monde Arabe, and le Ministbre des Finances at Bercy, which will be joined by the future Bibliothbque de France and le Centre International de Conf6rences at Quai Branly.2 Admittedly, some cities in the provinces have also received, or should receive, new monuments-a few Zeniths here, a museum there-but these remain marginal in comparison to the investments concentrated in the capital. In this architectural politics, diverse motivations seem to converge and to reinforce each other: pursuit of prestige for the country, which is not without its effects on the tourist industry; aspiration on the part of state power for the gratitude (reconnaissance, in both senses of the word) of its subjects, by presenting itself to them as an enlightened patron of the arts; and, finally--since it is necessary to include a zest of social consideration-a desire to be perceived as the artisan of urban civilization (in the words of the President de la Republique). The latter is a vague term, but much in use right now by public agencies (notably by the Ministre de la Ville); in it are mixed connotations that are as much socio-spatial (urbanity, integration, the right to the city) as political and cultural (citizenship, the right to culture). How should we look at these grands projets du President? How can we analyze them, not only in their form and style, but also in their functional ambitions and their meaning? To answer these questions, it is no doubt necessary to develop a double analysis: a first one focusing on the particular style of these edifices--on the tools of contemporary architectural creation as applied to large public buildings; and a second analysis of the meaning and pertinence of monumental architecture, and of the social and political finality of undertaking such projets in a technological and democratic society.

Excavation and Survey at Nohmul, Belize, 1986

AbstractThe final season of investigation of the Preclassic and Classic Maya community of Nohmul, northern Belize, included mapping of large areas of prehispanic settlement, surface sampling and test excavation in the settlement area, and major excavation of public architecture in the site core.The settlement pattern studies deemonstrate a large and dense community during the Tecep phase of ca. A.C. 800–1100, including “non-mound” occupation not visible on the surface. Site center excavations document an occupation sequence of A.C. 600–900+ at the Ball Court locus and a large public building of Tecep date forming part of a substantial reoccupation of Nohmul after a Classic period hiatus in monumental construction. Further investigation of the site's initial florescence in the Terminal Preclassic of the early first millennium A. C. suggests that the hitherto unexcavated West Group and the causeway linking it to the East Group of the ceremonial precinct form part of a massive architectural program that also...

Inspect and maintain all fire service lines

National interest was directed to tragedies when fires broke out in public buildings in Nevada and New York state recently. This article, from a paper presented at the Distribution System Symposium (Feb. 24–27. 1980) in Los Angeles, points out the importance of inspection and maintenance of the fire service lines that provide protection for large public buildings.

A Westminster Cathedral Episode

The story of the Ringstrasse in Vienna is familiar. It took the place of the outdated fortifications round the medieval city. The Emperor decided in 1857, a competition was held in 1858, and the plan was approved in 1859. The ring was going to be a wide green belt with large public buildings dotted around: the Parliament Grecian, the Town Hall Gothic, the Opera, the University, the Museum and School for the Decorative Arts, the Exchange and the Burgtheater all in one form or other neo-Renaissance, and so on. But one major building was already started when the Ringstrasse was laid out. The Votivkirche was vowed after an attempt had been made in 1853 to assassinate the Emperor. A competition was held and won by Heinrich Ferstel, and the foundation stone was laid in 1856. In the designs, and later in the execution, the church looked like a High Gothic French cathedral [Pl. 36). It is about 90m long and has a facade with two towers crowned by spires and a choir end with an ambulatory and radiating chapels - seven of them as at Beauvais and Cologne. The church was consecrated in 1879.

Houses, Villas and Palaces in the Roman World

In Houses, Villas, and Palaces in the Roman World, Alexander G. McKay examines simple houses, mansions, estates, and palatial buildings, and he pays particular attention to accounts of ancient writers that deal with such topics as house design, interiors, furnishings, and gardens. Describing innovative high-rise apartments, her compact civic squares, large public buildings, temples, shopping centers, and commercial areas, he shows that Roman civilization was astonishingly similar to our own. He also discusses the conditions of life in the Roman provinces, where recent discoveries have shed fresh light on private and communal living. McKay has enhanced the text by the inclusion of over 150 illustrations of plans, sites, and reconstructions.

Houses, Villas and Palaces in the Roman World

In Houses, Villas, and Palaces in the Roman World, Alexander G. McKay examines simple houses, mansions, estates, and palatial buildings, and he pays particular attention to accounts of ancient writers that deal with such topics as house design, interiors, furnishings, and gardens. Describing innovative high-rise apartments, her compact civic squares, large public buildings, temples, shopping centers, and commercial areas, he shows that Roman civilization was astonishingly similar to our own. He also discusses the conditions of life in the Roman provinces, where recent discoveries have shed fresh light on private and communal living. McKay has enhanced the text by the inclusion of over 150 illustrations of plans, sites, and reconstructions.

Stress Analysis of Historic Structures: Maillart's Warehouse at Chiasso

The significant architecture of any era is expected to include its large public buildings: the temples and arenas of the classical period, the cathedrals of the Middle Ages, and the transportation terminals and exhibition halls of our own time. Nevertheless, the main lines of architectural development pass through other construction as well: in residence, school, and office buildings, and even in granaries, mills, and warehouses. Early-20th-century examples from this last category often cited as important sources of modern architectural design include the Berlin AEG Turbine Factory of Peter Behrens (1909), the Bauhaus at Dessau of Walter Gropius (1926), and the Mobilier National, Paris, of August Perret (1931). The warehouse of the Magazzini Generali at Chiasso, designed by E. Brenni and Robert Maillart in 1924, is another industrial building that has attracted the interest of architectural historians.' But, in fact, it is not the warehouse building that is especially significant, although it does provide an excellent example of the mushroom-column and flat-slab floor system in concrete that Maillart originated in 1910. Rather, it is the framing of an attached reinforced-concrete storage shed that has commanded so much attention (fig. 1). This shed, attributed to Maillart, is relatively small (33 x 50 meters in plan) and is, in fact, hidden behind the main building, a peculiarity that seems

Beycesultan Excavations: Fourth Preliminary Report, 1957

Short Reports on the Institute's excavations at Beycesultan, dealing with discoveries in the seasons of 1954, 1955 and 1956 have already been published in this journal (vols. V–VII). In the third of these reports, a break in continuity was occasioned by our temporary concentration on a single isolated discovery; and accordingly, before resuming the more general account, a short recapitulation of our operational sequence may be desirable.In the final weeks of the 1955 season, a sounding was made in Area “A” on the western summit (see site-plan, Fig. 1), which revealed the presence in this part of the mound of a large public building of the Middle Bronze Age, corresponding in time to the “Burnt Palace” already partly excavated on the eastern summit (Level V). Some preliminary investigations were also made of three occupation levels (VI, VII and VIII) lying directly beneath this building (see Anatolian Studies VI). In 1956 an extension of this sounding was made in the form of a 5-metre trench more than 40 metres long, running out approximately eastwards towards the flank of the mound (Trench “S”). After passing through the already well established sequence of later occupations, further foundations of the Middle Bronze Age were here encountered and it became clear that the building discovered in Area “A” formed part of an administrative complex, perhaps covering the whole of the western summit, and surrounded by its own substantial enclosure wall.