Integrating Fire Evacuation into the Building Information Modelling Workflow

Abstract

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is arising gradually as a useful methodology in the AEC field. One of the many benefits of BIM is coordination between stakeholders from multiple disciplines. However, the field of Fire Safety Engineering (FSE) is relatively lagging by its lack of integration into this digital workflow. This lack of integration increases the efforts needed to evaluate the designs and hinders possible collaboration of parties undertaking projects. It also causes a fragmentation of the design and review processes which may result in data loss, inconsistent documentation and ambiguity in roles and responsibilities, and ultimately lead to life safety issues and property damage.

In order to address these gaps, this thesis proposes to develop a framework for smoothly integrating FSE into BIM-authoring tools, with a specific focus on evacuation. Through this framework, the potential for exchange and collaboration is leveraged by embedding prescriptive requirements and evacuation simulation data into a shared BIM model. This will enable professionals and authorities to review building design models coupled with analysis results and perform more efficient and comprehensive assessments.

Ultimately, this will result in the creation of a full data loop linking BIM platforms and evacuation assessment tools and the implementation of a digital record, referred to as the “golden thread of information”.

In this report, a number of developments by the author are discussed, which include establishing a technical framework and associated data exchange formats from an FSE perspective. Additionally, the benefits of two-way data flow between BIM and fire evacuation assessment tools are demonstrated by implementing a prototype system for coupling Revit, a popular BIM platform, and Pathfinder, a widely used evacuation simulator.

The work presented in this paper provides a practical demonstration for the integration of fire evacuation into BIM and will contribute to the ongoing efforts of the community in support for FSE and occupant movement data exchange.

Popular Abstract

This thesis provides a practical demonstration of the integration of fire evacuation into the Building Information Modelling workflow.

Fire Safety Engineering (FSE) requires a wide range of building-specific data from other disciplines to evaluate the fire performance of a building using various fire, evacuation, and structural assessment tools. Moreover, results of such evaluations need to be communicated to architects, owners, and authorities to have the design approved. In this regard, BIM appears as a useful methodology for fire engineers because it centralizes all the knowledge about a building throughout its life cycle.

In fact, Building Information Modelling (BIM) is used by architects and engineers to represent a building in three dimensions with a high level of detail and to store semantic information covering several aspects of the building’s performance, usage, materials, etc. BIM also facilitates the collaboration between stakeholders who can work on a shared model and report their findings centrally.

However, the discipline of Fire Safety Engineering is relatively lagging by its lack of integration into the BIM digital workflow. This lack of integration increases the efforts needed to evaluate designs and hinders possible collaboration of parties undertaking projects. It also causes a fragmentation of the design and review processes, where the data supporting fire safety assessments (such as simulation results) is not always accessible. This in turn may result in data loss, inconsistent documentation and ambiguity in roles and responsibilities, and ultimately lead to life safety issues and property damage.

Recently, the International Fire Safety Standards (IFSS), a worldwide coalition of over 80 fire safety organizations, has launched a ‘Decade of Action for Fire Safety 2022-2032’, in which it calls for improving the quality of fire safety data that is collected using better frameworks, inspections systems and technologies. Moreover, the Hackitt report, in response to the Grenfell Tower Fire (London, 2017) established the need for a digital record of the fire performance of buildings, throughout their life cycle, to prevent life and property losses. This was referred to as the “Golden Thread of Information”.

In order to address these gaps, this research developed a framework for smoothly integrating FSE into BIM-authoring tools, with a specific focus on fire evacuation. A prototype was implemented, coupling Revit, a BIM software platform, to Pathfinder, an evacuation modelling tool. This resulted in the creation of a full data loop linking BIM platforms (Revit) and evacuation assessment tools allowing to pass information and assessment results between them and achieving the “Golden Thread of Information”.

Thus, the potential for exchange and collaboration between stakeholders is leveraged by embedding prescriptive requirements and evacuation performance data into BIM models. This enables professionals and authorities to review building design models coupled with analysis results and to perform efficient and comprehensive assessments.

• author: Yakhou, Nazim
• supervisor: Peter Thompson; Enrico Ronchi
• organization: Division of Fire Safety Engineering
• course: VBRM05 20221
• year: 2022
• type: H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
• subject: Technology and Engineering
• keywords: Fire Safety Engineering, Building Information Modelling, Fire Evacuation, Performance Based Design, Golden Thread of Information
• publication/series: LUTVDG/TVBB
• report number: 5668
• other publication id: LUTVDG/TVBB—5668 --SE
• language: English
• id: 9086115
• date added to LUP: 2022-06-10 10:12:53
• date last changed: 2022-06-10 10:12:53