Performance-based fire safety evacuation of an auditorium facility using a theoretical calculation method

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 124-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abubakar S. Mahmoud ◽  
Muizz O. Sanni-Anibire ◽  
Mohammad A. Hassanain
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Theoretical Calculation ◽  
Fire Safety ◽  
Theoretical Method ◽  
Emergency Evacuation ◽  
Evacuation Time ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Safety Evacuation ◽  
In Fire

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a theoretical calculation for the emergency evacuation of an auditorium facility managed by a university in Saudi Arabia. Design/methodology/approach The authors reviewed the published literature to identify the sources of fire incidence, guidelines for means of escape in assembly occupancies and human behavior in fire emergencies. The theoretical method of the SFPE handbook to estimate the required evacuation time was subsequently applied to a case study of an auditorium facility managed by a university located in Saudi Arabia. Finally, the authors developed recommendations for the performance-based fire safety evacuation of the auditorium facility under review. Findings The study showed that a total of 6 minutes 39 seconds is needed to evacuate the whole auditorium. However, reviewed literature for assembly occupancies requires between 4 minutes 30 seconds and 6 minutes 24 seconds for total evacuation. Though, the calculated evacuation time is close to generally acceptable limits. It was noted that overcrowding and bottlenecks may be formed in some of the exit routes. Originality/value This paper will stimulate and increase research and industry concern for performance-based design of assembly-type facilities. This will be of significant value to designers, engineers, facilities managers, and owners in ensuring the safety of occupants in assembly-type facilities.

Institutional logics and risk management practices in government entities: evidence from Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Murr ◽  
Nieves Carrera
Keyword(s):  
Risk Management ◽  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Single Case ◽  
Institutional Logics ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Traditional Logic ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
The Government

Purpose This study aims to understand how institutional logics influence the adoption and implementation of risk management (RM) practices by government entities in a non-western, developing country. Design/methodology/approach This study draws on the institutional logics perspective (ILP) to analyze a case study of a government entity in Saudi Arabia. Data were obtained from semi-structured interviews, observations and documentary evidence. Findings Findings suggest that the adoption and implementation of RM projects by Saudi governmental agencies was rooted in a traditional logic, even though the catalyst of the government for adopting a RM culture across government agencies was framed within a reform program inspired by a modernization logic. In the entity under investigation, the RM project led to an unstable situation where actors were confronted with these two competing logics. Although the project used manifestations of a modernization logic, the actions of individuals within the organization were embedded in a traditional logic. Research limitations/implications The study is based on a single case study in a specific country, limiting the generalizability of the findings. Originality/value This study provides novel evidence of the adoption and implementation of RM in governmental entities in a developing, non-western, country using ILP. Doing so enhances our knowledge about how managers struggle with competing institutional logics in an underexplored setting and enriches current accounts of key drivers and barriers of RM. It also addresses calls for a deeper understanding of the logics and managerial practices interplay in the public sector.

BIM in the Saudi Arabian construction industry: state of the art, benefit and barriers

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Al-Yami ◽  
Muizz O. Sanni-Anibire
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Lessons Learned ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Perceived Benefits ◽  
Content Type

Purpose Although there is a boom in the construction industry in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), it is yet to fully adopt building information modeling (BIM), which has received a lot of attention in the US, UK and Australian construction industries. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to provide the current state of the art in BIM implementation in Saudi Arabia, as well as perceived benefits and barriers through a case study. Design/methodology/approach A broad overview of BIM, the construction industry in KSA and the research and implementation of BIM in KSA was presented in this study. The research further established the perceived benefits and barriers of BIM implementation through a case study of a local AEC firm. A questionnaire survey was used to obtain lessons learned from the BIM team of the pilot project and was further analyzed using the RII approach. Findings The study’s findings include the lack of policy initiatives in KSA to enforce BIM in the construction industry, as well as the lack of sufficient research in the domain of BIM in KSA. Furthermore, the case study also revealed that the most important benefit of BIM adoption is “detection of inter-disciplinary conflicts in the drawings to reduce error, maintain design intent, control quality and speed up communication,” whereas the most important barrier is “the need for re-engineering many construction projects for successful transition towards BIM.” Originality/value The study provides a background for enhanced research towards the implementation of BIM in Saudi Arabia and also demonstrates the potential benefits and barriers in BIM implementation.

Adequacy of Safe Egress Design Codes for Supertall Buildings

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
pp. 568-580
Author(s):  
Edgar C. L. Pang ◽  
◽  
Wan-Ki Chow
Keyword(s):  
Hong Kong ◽  
Fire Safety ◽  
Safety Management ◽  
Tall Buildings ◽  
Emergency Evacuation ◽  
Design Parameters ◽  
Commercial Building ◽  
Evacuation Time ◽  
Normal Heights ◽  
Evacuation Routes

Emergency evacuation for supertall buildings with heights over 200 m require a very long time for occupants to travel down the buildings. Occupants might jam into protected lobbies and staircases, extending the waiting time. There is not yet any code requirement specifically for emergency evacuation in supertall buildings, which are criticized for using the same codes for buildings with normal heights. Further, the evacuation design for several existing supertall buildings does not even follow prescriptive fire-safety codes. The underlying problems have not yet been addressed by thorough studies. Evacuation in such tall buildings in Hong Kong will be studied in this paper. The assumptions made in the local prescriptive codes for safe egress will be justified. Three buildings with evacuation design complying with the local codes are considered as examples. A commercial building, a hotel, and a residential block in Hong Kong are taken as examples. The key design parameters in the local codes are for 40 people evacuating with a flow rate of 1.1 person/s through the staircase between typical floors. The evacuation time from each floor to the protected lobby is assumed to be within 5 min. The evacuation times in different scenarios with these assumptions are calculated. Such assumptions do not hold under a high occupant load. The total evacuation time would be extended significantly when the travelling flows of occupants are blocked in any of the evacuation routes. Different fire-safety management schemes with staged evacuation, such as assigning higher priorities to evacuate lower or upper floors first, are evaluated. The results observed for safe egress are then discussed.

scholarly journals Performance-based Fire Safety Evacuation in High-rise Building Flats in Indonesia – A Case Study in Bandung

2014 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 116-125 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wahyu Sujatmiko ◽  
Hermawan K. Dipojono ◽  
F.X. Nugroho Soelami ◽  
Soegijanto
Keyword(s):  
Fire Safety ◽  
High Rise ◽  
High Rise Building ◽  
Safety Evacuation

Modelling of the Human Behavior in Evacuation

2014 ◽  
Vol 580-583 ◽  
pp. 2663-2666
Author(s):  
Lan Wei ◽  
Chao Yang Zhao ◽  
Wei Feng Yuan
Keyword(s):  
Cellular Automaton ◽  
Human Behavior ◽  
Fire Safety ◽  
Numerical Test ◽  
Emergency Evacuation ◽  
Promising Tool ◽  
Safety Design ◽  
Ca Model ◽  
Fire Safety Design ◽  
In Fire

Emergency evacuation is an important issue in fire safety. In this study, a cellular automaton (CA) model in which the human behaviour termed ‘flow with the stream’ is considered is proposed to simulate the procedure of emergency evacuation. Based on the CA model, the influence of the number of guiders to the evacuation from a large compartment is analyzed through numerical test. The result shows that the proposed CA model is a promising tool that may be used in fire safety design.

scholarly journals Fire Evacuation Process Using Both Elevators and Staircases for Aging People: Simulation Case Study on Personnel Distribution in High-Rise Nursing Home

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Yameng Chen ◽  
Chen Wang ◽  
Jeffrey Boon Hui Yap ◽  
Heng Li ◽  
Hong Song Hu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nursing Home ◽  
The Elderly ◽  
Emergency Evacuation ◽  
General Distribution ◽  
Evacuation Time ◽  
Building Evacuation ◽  
High Rise ◽  
Physical Conditions ◽  
Aging People

There were increasing concerns on the possibility and suitability of using elevators for high-rise building evacuation because, through the improvement of the elevator system, the self-evacuation ability of age people is promoted as much as possible in the process of an emergency evacuation. The combined evacuation using both elevators and stairs was put into discussion. However, there was no empirical evidence and numerical simulation on emergency evacuation using both elevators and staircases for aging people in high-rise nursing homes. Therefore, using one case study, this paper simulated the emergency evacuation in a high-rise nursing home using variables such as the distribution of the elderly with different physical conditions, the proportion of the elderly in different physical conditions, the number of the elderly, the number of floors, the number of elevators used, and the priority of the elevator floor. By simulating the evacuation process in various scenarios, the general distribution strategy of high-rise nursing home and the optimal use of the elevator-stair combination during the emergency evacuation were developed. Results show that the elevator-stair combination of evacuation is more effective than using elevators or stairs alone. Increasing the number and speed of elevators can reduce evacuation time. Categorizing elderly people on each floor according to their physical conditions could reduce the evacuation time than randomly distributing them.

Adoption and implementation of BIM – case study of a Saudi Arabian AEC firm

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 608-624 ◽  
Author(s):  
Taqiadden Almuntaser ◽  
Muizz O. Sanni-Anibire ◽  
Mohammad A. Hassanain
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Pilot Project ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Incremental Innovation ◽  
Implementation Framework ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adoption And Implementation ◽  
Building Information

Purpose The adoption of building information modeling (BIM) technology in the global architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industries is steadily increasing. However, developing countries such as Saudi Arabia are still lagging behind. The purpose of this paper is to present a framework for BIM adoption in the AEC industry in Saudi Arabia through a case study. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a two-pronged approach. First, the various stages, benefits and challenges of BIM implementation in a local AEC firm’s pilot project were documented. Then, a BIM maturity measurement of the pilot project was conducted, and identification of the areas where improvements can be made. Findings BIM implementation provided several benefits and efficiency gains. These include a faster design processes, effective reuse of information and overall client satisfaction. Challenges faced include a lack of interest by clients and industry stakeholders, inadequate experience of the BIM team, and lack of mentorship from a BIM champion. The findings of the BIM maturity measurement were presented as an implementation framework in the five process areas and ten subject areas of the Project Management Institute’s (PMI) project management framework. Originality/value Though, frameworks, guidelines and protocols have been developed to facilitate the successful adoption of BIM, the issue is not a case of “one size fits all.” This study thus introduces the much needed awareness in the research and professional domain in Saudi Arabia. It also presents the proposed framework in the PMI framework, which is an incremental innovation to previous work.

Culture, Islamic capital and the entrepreneurial behaviour of family firms in Saudi Arabia

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dalal Alrubaishi ◽  
Maura McAdam ◽  
Richard Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Saudi Arabia ◽  
Cultural Context ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Family Ties ◽  
Study Approach ◽  
Entrepreneurial Behaviour ◽  
Saudi Family

PurposeThere is a significant gap in understanding with regards to the role of cultural context in family business research. This paper aims to address this by exploring the critical and pervasive influence of culture in shaping the entrepreneurial behaviours of family businesses based in Saudi Arabia.Design/methodology/approachThe authors adopt a qualitative interpretive case study approach, which draws upon interviews with the incumbents and successors of ten Saudi Arabian family firms.FindingsThe authors’ empirical evidence reveals the importance of family ties and culture on the entrepreneurial behaviour of family firms in general, and the influence of “Islamic capital” on the intergenerational transfer of family legacy in particular.Originality/valueThe authors provide critical insights on how Islamic capital motivates Saudi family firms to maintain harmony, avoid disputes and create a legacy for future generations by engaging in entrepreneurial behaviours.

A code-compliance framework for fire safety in student housing facilities

Facilities ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (7/8) ◽  
pp. 423-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad A. Hassanain ◽  
Jamilu A. Garkuwa ◽  
Muizz O. Sanni-Anibire
Keyword(s):  
Fire Safety ◽  
Student Housing ◽  
Ease Of Use ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Modeling Framework ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Precautionary Measures ◽  
Code Compliance ◽  
Housing Facilities

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the development and implementation of a qualitative, code-compliance framework for property managers of student housing facilities. Design/methodology/approach The paper identified the fire safety code requirements for student housing facilities and arranged these requirements in the form of a checklist, which was further validated by professional experts. Additionally, the paper presented an IDEF0 (Integrated Definition for Function Modeling) framework model that illustrates a stepwise process for the deployment of the checklist. A case study was conducted on three similar student housing facilities in a university campus to demonstrate the application of the framework. Furthermore, the findings from the case study were reported along with recommendations to improve the degree of compliance with the requirements of fire safety codes. Findings The developed framework was validated by professional experts and through a case study. Fire safety provisions were mostly found to be adequate in the case study building. The authors proposed several actions to improve the current status of fire safety in the building. Originality/value The paper serves to disseminate awareness about the occurrence of fires, their severe consequences and precautionary measures in student housing facilities. It also provides a standardized checklist for ease of use by property managers who may be unable to understand the technical terminologies found in fire safety codes and standards. Thus, the developed framework is of tangible value to property managers, building specialists and student housing administrators.

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