Building Rehabilitation and Fire Safety:The Palace Hotel in Madrid Case Study

Lisa E. VanBuskirk, P.E., LEED® AP

Rolf Jensen & Associates, Inc.

New York Times: February 1, 1998The New-Fashioned Palace Hotel in Madrid

“The Palace Hotel in Madrid, across the street from the Prado Museum and with a roster of clients that includes Ernest Hemingway, Mata Hari, Marlon Brando and Rita Hayworth, not to mention Dali and Stravinsky, has completed the most extensive renovation in its 85-year history.

All 440 rooms in the luxury six-story hotel have been refurbished and outfitted with double-glazed windows and insulation to address an old complaint about street noise. A health club has been added on the top floor.

ITT Sheraton bought the Palace in 1995, and paid $42 million to renovate it. The fourth floor's 75 rooms are now designated nonsmoking, and all rooms have been equipped with digital telephones, individually controlled air-conditioning, fire sprinklers, smoke alarms and television sets that receive 30 channels.

Why the Palace Hotel?

• 1995: RJA contracted to evaluate the Hotel

• Compliance with prevailing Sheraton Fire Standards (SFS). (Now known as Starwood Fire Protection and

Fire Life Safety Design Requirements.)

RJA Assignment• Survey building

– Develop report detailing deficiencies relative to SFS

– Provide potential solutions

• Automatic Sprinkler system design/drawings

• Fire Alarm & Notification system design/drawings

• Egress drawings

Hotel Background

• Constructed in 1912 of generally non-combustible, protected construction

• 7 levels above ground

• Uses include Residential, Assembly, Mercantile, Storage, Business, and Back of House

BuildingLayout

Hotel Background

• Egress System

– Three exit stairs

• Travel distance and stair capacity adequate on guestroom floors when automatic sprinkler protection provided

– Main Entrance must be used as exit to provide sufficient egress capacity

• Egress plans must be updated to reflect this change

Hotel Background

• Existing Fire Protection Systems– Fire Alarm and Detection System

– Portable Extinguishers

– Dry Standpipes

– Fire Hoses

– Shopping Arcade protected by automatic sprinklers

– Halon and CO2 systems in certain Back of House areas

Planned Architectural Changes

• New Junior Suites

• New Executive Suites

• New Standard Guestrooms

• No renovation of Main Floor

Sheraton Fire Standards (SFS) versus

1991 Norma Básica De La Edificación Sobre Condiciones De Protección Contra Incendios En Los Edificios (NBE-CPI)

Sheraton Fire Standards (SFS) versus

1993 Ordenanza de Prevención de Incendios del Ayuntamiento de Madrid (ANM)

RJA Survey Findings

• Existing fire protection systems were in working order

• Major findings

– Fire Suppression Capability

– Fire Detection & Notification

– Means of Egress

• Minor maintenance issues also identified

Survey Findings - Automatic Sprinklers

• SFS required AS protection throughout

• Shopping arcade was only area with AS

• RJA determined methodology for retrofit of automatic sprinklers in all areas

Survey Findings - Automatic Sprinklers

• Rotunda floor presented greatest installation challenge due to ornate ceiling

• Interstitial space recommended for routing of piping

• Estimated cost: $890,000 (40, 450 m2 at $22/m2) (1996 US dollars)

Guestroom Sprinkler Example

Survey Findings - Fire Pump Assembly

• Existing electric motor-driven pump lacked capacity to supply projected automatic sprinkler demand

• Existing pump not listed for fire protection service

Survey Findings - Fire Pump Assembly

• Recommended installation of new fire pump assembly

• UL/FM listed diesel fire pump (at time, no comparable Spanish standard)

• Capacity of 750 gpm/2840 lpm

• Estimated cost: $65,000 (1996 US dollars)

Survey Findings - Water Supply• Add Two Fire Hydrants

– SFS requires fire hydrants to supply water to responding fire department personnel.

– City of Madrid would install fire hydrants for a fixed fee.

– Estimated cost: $12,000 (1996 US dollars)

Survey Findings: Addition of Fire Hydrants

Survey Findings – Special Extinguishing Systems

• Remove Halon System

– SFS does not prohibit gaseous fire protection systems, but maintenance costs projected to increase

– Automatic sprinklers installed as substitute in boiler room, electrical substation, computer room and pastry room.

– Estimated cost: $4,000 (1996 US dollars)

Survey Findings – Special Extinguishing Systems

• Remove Kitchen Hood CO2 Suppression System

– SFS did not recognize CO2 for kitchen hood protection

– Listed water spray nozzles connected to the new AS provided for kitchen hood protection

– Estimated cost: $3,000 (1996 US dollars)

Survey Findings - Fire Detection & Notification System

• Existing Fire Alarm (FA) system installed 1987

• Half of guest room floors lacked smoke detection capability

• Class B wiring installed in plastic conduit

• Notification in common areas only by horns

• FACP located in vulnerable location

Survey Findings - Fire Detection & Notification System

• RJA recommended complete replacement of fire alarm system

• Comprehensive smoke detection capability

• Manual fire alarm signaling

• 70 dBA notification in guestrooms

• One-way emergency voice communication

• Two-way fire fighter’s telephone system

• Estimated cost: $360,000 (1996 US dollars)

Smoke Detection Placement

Smoke Detection Placement

Smoke Detection Placement

Smoke Detection Placement

Beam Smoke Detection

Survey Findings - Means of Egress• Enclose Two Open Stairs

– Main and Service Stairs on the five guest room floors open to guest corridors

– SFS required separation to prevent vertical fire spread

– Recommended enclosure of stairs with 2-hour fire resistant construction

– Main Stair to include architectural features and incorporate tempered glass and sprinkler protection as providing equivalent fire resistance

– Estimated cost: $60,000 (1996 US dollars)

Stairway EnclosureExample

Survey Findings - Means of Egress

• Retrofit Existing Corridor Doors with Self Closing Mechanisms

– SFS required openings in corridor walls to be 20 minute fire resistance rated assemblies or 4.45 cm thick, solid bonded wood door doors with self closing and latching devices.

– Existing corridor doors provided an equivalent fire protection rating, but were not self closing and latching.

Survey Findings - Means of Egress

• Retrofit Existing Corridor Doors with Self Closing Mechanisms

– Provide self closing devices on all corridor doors.

– Estimated cost: $50,000 (1996 US dollars)

Survey Findings - Means of Egress• Retrofit Existing Shaft Doors with Self-Closing

Mechanisms

– Guest room floor utility shafts were 1-hour fire resistance rated units.

– SFS required shafts to have 2-hour fire resistance rating.

– Recommended making all openings self-closing.

– Estimated cost: $27,000 (1996 US dollars)

Survey Findings - Means of Egress• Replace Exit Signage

– Existing exit signage was small and confusing.

– SFS required exit signs to be self luminous or electroluminescent

– Recommended replacing all signage with self-luminous signs, listed per Spanish regulations

– Estimated cost: $12,500 (1996 US dollars)

Survey Findings - Means of Egress• Separate Two Stairs

• Two stairs are open to hazardous areas

– Stair on Calle De Medinacelli open to luggage storage room

– Stair on Calle de Cervantes open to the kitchen.

– Recommended separate both stairs from hazardous areas

– Estimated cost: $12,000 (1996 US dollars)

Separation of Stairs

Survey Findings - Means of Egress

• Add Emergency Lighting to Unlite Exterior Stair

• Estimated cost: $3,000 (1996 US dollars)

Total Estimated Cost of Fire/Safety Renovations

~$1.6 million(1996 US dollars)

• Fire & Life Safety upgrades driven by new owner’s

brand standard

• SFS requirements typically exceeded national & municipal requirements

• Historical or unique architectural features may require unusual equipment locations and routing

Example: Main Floor ceiling could have made AS/FA installation difficult. Interstitial space was used for piping and electrical conduit.

Summary

15 Years Later…

Would we recommend the same solutions?

• Other NFPA Standards

• Performance Based Design Applications

• Fire Modeling

• Egress Models

Thank You

Lisa E. VanBuskirk, P.E., LEED® AP

Rolf Jensen & Associates

Ezelsveldlaan 85

2611 RV Delft

Netherlands

lvanbuskirk@rjagroup.com

US Cell Phone: +01 202 436 4273

NL Cell Phone: +31 (0) 61 559 1830

www.rjainc.com