fire safety challenges with sustainable buildings ... · ©brian meacham, 30 september 2016 11 fprf...

Fire Safety Challenges with Sustainable Buildings, Materials & SystemsProfessor Brian Meacham, PhD, PE, CEng FIFireE, FSFPEDepartment of Fire Protection EngineeringWorcester Polytechnic Institute, Worcester, MA, USA

Sustainable Fire Engineering 2016 DublinDublin, Ireland, 30 September 2016

©Brian Meacham, 30 September 2016 2

Overview• What do we mean by sustainable? • Current focus on sustainability as a function of

energy may disadvantage other areas, including resiliency to fire

• Fire performance challenges with sustainable buildings, materials and systems

• Overview of research program at WPI that is looking at fire performance of domestic housing, naturally ventilated buildings and development of risk / hazard screening tool for the fire service


What do we mean by sustainable?

• Environmentally friendly

• Can be maintained in the future

• Economic stability• Social

responsibility• Appropriate use

and respect of natural resources

3


What are sustainability strategies?

• Reduce direct environmental impacts─ Extraction, processing and transport of

raw material─ Reduce water use, materials, pollution

• Reduce carbon emissions / climate change potential─ Energy production─ Transportation─ Built environment


What are sustainability strategies?

• Within the built environment─ High density buildings / housing Reduce transportation needs

─ Vertical construction Limit land use for building

─ Reduce materials / mass of elements Reduce embodied energy Reduce new construction Increase building rehabilitation

─ Increase use of sustainable materials (e.g., timber)─ Reduce energy use Heating, cooling, lighting, ventilation… Alternative energy sources


High density & high rise

Shanghai, 1990 Shanghai, 2010


Increase existing building reuse

• In most countries, existing buildings make up the significant majority of the building stock─ Urban centers built-up, sufficient number of buildings for

housing and work─ Less material usage (recycle / reuse)─ Less impact on green space (‘brown fields’ redevelopment)


Reduce energy

http://www.alrc.doe.gov/newsroom/features/08-2009.html


Sustainable architecture

• Reduced electrical lighting loads – increased natural lighting –increased glass façade

• Reduced mechanical heating and cooling – reduce fans and heating and cooling loads –increased natural ventilation

• Increase thermal insulation –better energy performance

• Green roof – better water management


Sustainable architecture

• Reduce construction material (lower embodied energy) –smaller structural members – less mass

• Increased use of alternative energy sources – photovoltaic panels, skins and coatings – fuel cells

• Combination gives rise to ‘green’ buildings and ‘green’ / sustainable / energy efficient buildings, energy rating schemes, and regulations (EPBR)


FPRF study: examples of incidents Table 1. Representative Fire Incidents

Commercial Photovoltaic Panel Fire 383 kW roof PV system fire, Target Store, Bakersfield, CA, April 2009

http://nfpa.typepad.com/files/target‐fire‐report‐09apr29.pdf (last accessed 10/21/12)

PV roof fire, France warehouse, January 2010

http://www.aria.developpement‐durable.gouv.fr/ressources/fd_37736_valdereuil_jfm_en.pdf (last accessed 10/21/12)

Roof PV system in Goch, Germany, April 2012.

http://www.feuerwehr‐goch.de/index.php?id=22&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=596&cHash=982afcd5c431b7299f67de4af397cc43 (last accessed 10/21/12)

1,208kW roof PV system, Mt. Holly, NC, April 2011

http://www.solarabcs.org/about/publications/meeting_presentations_minutes/2011/12/pdfs/Duke‐Webinar‐Dec2011.pdf (last accessed 10/21/12)

PV roof fire, Trenton, NJ, March 2012

http://blog.nj.com/centraljersey_impact/print.html?entry=/2012/03/trenton_firefighters_battle_ro.html (last accessed 10/21/12) http://www.nj.com/mercer/index.ssf/2012/03/solar_panels_source_of_fire_at.html (last accessed 10/21/12)

Residential Photovoltaic Panel Fire PV Fire: Experience and Studies, UL, 2009

http://www.solarabcs.org/about/publications/meeting_presentations_minutes/2011/02/pdfs/Arc‐PV_Fire_sm.pdf (last accessed 10/21/12)

PV fires, FPRF report, 2010 http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/pdf/research/fftacticssolarpower.pdf (last accessed 10/21/12)PV fire, San Diego, CA, April 2010

http://www.nctimes.com/article_8a32fb03‐9e3f‐58ca‐b860‐9c7fe1e28c7e.html (last accessed 10/21/12)

PV fire, Stittingbourne, UK, March 2012

http://www.kentonline.co.uk/kentonline/news/2012/march/30/solar_panels.aspx (last accessed 10/21/12)

Battery Storage and UPS Fire Battery fire, Data Center, Taiwan, February 2009

http://indico.cern.ch/getFile.py/access?sessionId=8&resId=1&materialId=0&confId=45473 (last accessed 10/21/12)

https://solarjuice.com/blog/buildings-and-pv/solar-panels-and-fire/

http://www.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/news/warning-solar-panel-owners/1256986/


FPRF study: examples of incidents Table 1. Representative Fire Incidents

Residential Spray Foam Insulation FireFoam insulation home fire, North Falmouth, MA, May 2008

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080520/NEWS/805200318/‐1/rss01 (last accessed 10/21/12) http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green‐building‐news/three‐massachusetts‐home‐fires‐linked‐spray‐foam‐installation (last accessed 10/21/12)

Foam insulation, Woods Hole, MA, February 2011

http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110211/NEWS/102110323 (last accessed 10/21/12)

Foam insulation fire, Quebec, May 2010

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green‐building‐news/nze‐project‐tragic‐fire‐and‐will‐rebuild (last accessed 10/21/12)

Residential Foil Insulation, Fire / Shock HazardsHome Insulation Program (Australia)

http://www.climatechange.gov.au/government/initiatives/hisp/key‐statistics.aspx (last accessed 10/21/12) http://www.productsafety.gov.au/content/index.phtml/itemId/974027/ (last accessed 10/21/12) http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/feb2010/insu‐f22.shtml (last accessed 10/21/12)http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/garretts‐roofing‐fire‐admission/story‐e6frg6n6‐1225829880090 (last accessed 10/21/12)

Sandwich Panels / Structural Integrated Panel (SIP) with Combustible Foam Insulation or CoatingBorgata Casino, Atlantic City, NJ, Façade Fire (2007)

http://www.fireengineering.com/articles/2010/05/modern‐building‐materials‐are‐factors‐in‐atlantic‐city‐fires.html (last accessed 10/21/12)

Apartment Façade Fire, Busan, Korea

http://koreabridge.net/post/haeundae‐highrise‐fire‐busan‐marine‐city‐burns (last accessed 10/21/12) http://view.koreaherald.com/kh/view.php?ud=20101001000621&cpv=0 (last accessed 10/21/12)

Apartment Façade and Scaffold Fire, Shaghai, China

http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2010/11/shanghai_apartment_fire.html (last accessed 10/21/12) http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world‐asia‐pacific‐11760467 (last accessed 10/21/12)

High‐Rise Façade Fires, UAE http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/emergencies/fire‐breaks‐out‐at‐sharjah‐tower‐1.1014750(last accessed 10/21/12) http://article.wn.com/view/2012/05/02/Tower_cladding_in_UAE_fuels_fire/ (last accessed 10/21/12) http://article.wn.com/view/2012/05/01/Experts_shed_light_on_how_fires_spread_in_towers/(last accessed 10/21/12)

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/three-massachusetts-home-fires-linked-spray-foam-installation

http://koreabridge.net/post/haeundae-highrise-fire-busan-marine-city-burns


FPRF study: examples of studies Table 2. Fire Safety Concerns in Green Buildings: Selected Resources

Overall Concerns BRANZ ‐ Building Sustainability and Fire‐Safety Design Interactions (2012)

http://www.branz.co.nz/cms_show_download.php?id=716733515027fe4626188881f674635d51e3cfb0 (last accessed 10/21/12)

BRE – Impact of Fire on the Environment and Building Sustainability (2010)

http://www.communities.gov.uk/documents/planningandbuilding/pdf/1795639.pdf (last accessed 10/21/12)

Bridging the Gap: Fire Safety and Green Buildings, NASFM 2010

http://firemarshals.org/greenbuilding/bridgingthegap.html (last accessed 10/21/12)

Photovoltaic / Energy systems Fire Fighter Safety and Emergency Response for Solar Power Systems

http://www.nfpa.org/assets/files/pdf/research/fftacticssolarpower.pdf (last accessed 10/21/12)

Firefighter Safety and Photovoltaic Installations Research Project, UL 2011

http://www.ul.com/global/documents/offerings/industries/buildingmaterials/fireservice/PV‐FF_SafetyFinalReport.pdf (last accessed 10/21/12)

Lightweight Wood Structures Lightweight structure fire, NFPA http://www.nfpa.org/publicJournalDetail.asp?categoryID=1857&i

temID=43878&src=NFPAJournal&cookie%5Ftest=1 (last accessed 10/21/12)

Improving Fire Safety by Understanding the Fire Performance of Engineered Floor Systems and Providing the Fire Service with Information for Tactical Decision Making, UL 2012

http://www.ul.com/global/documents/offerings/industries/buildingmaterials/fireservice/basementfires/2009 NIST ARRA Compilation Report.pdf (last accessed 10/21/12)

Architectural Performance of double‐skin façade http://www.bse.polyu.edu.hk/researchCentre/Fire_Engineering/s

ummary_of_output/journal/IJEPBFC/V6/p.155‐167.pdf (last accessed 10/21/12)

Fire Hazards of Foam Insulation Toxicity of Flame Retardants in Foam Insulation and Other ProductsBrominated flame retardants and health concerns http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1241790/ (last

accessed 10/21/12)Toxicity of flame retardants and impact on fire fighters http://www.nist.gov/el/fire_research/upload/4‐Purser.pdf (last

accessed 10/21/12)

http://firemarshals.org/greenbuilding/bridgingthegap.html

http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/offerings/industries/buildingmaterials/fire/fireservice/lightweight/


FPRF study: fire safety concerns

• Material properties• High thermal insulation vs.

flammability • New materials as interior lining,

façade, insulation, within sandwich panel and more – increased fuel load, distribution, flame spread, smoke spread…

• High thermal insulation vs. effect on compartment temperatures in a fire

http://koreabridge.net/post/haeundae-highrise-fire-busan-marine-city-burns

http://www.greenbuildingadvisor.com/blogs/dept/green-building-news/three-massachusetts-home-fires-linked-spray-foam-installation



http://www.fireengineering.com/articles/2010/05/modern-building-materials-are-factors-in-atlantic-city-fires.html

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yQLIlIetDM

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-22346184



• Toxicity (IAQ) vs. fire retardant qualities

• Chemical additives in foam insulation and other materials – toxicity under fire and non-fire conditions?

• Polystyrene foam insulation used in building insulation (both XPS, such as Styrofoam, and EPS) is treated with hexabromocyclododecane, (HBCD), a persistent, bioaccumulating, and toxic fire retardant

• Reduce fire retardant, have fire riskhttp://www.noburn.com/intumescent-paints-fire-retardant-coatings



• Natural ventilation vs. smoke management─ 1 Bligh Street, Sydney

https://www.asme.org/kb/news---articles/articles/energy-efficiency/down-under-a-highly-sustainable-high-rise



• Reduced and/or natural material vs. reduced strength or fire protection

• Lightweight engineered lumber • High strength concrete• Combustible interior finishes

Courtesy MSU

http://www.ul.com/global/eng/pages/offerings/industries/buildingmaterials/fire/fireservice/lightweight/



2”x 4” or2”x 6”

Cross Laminated Timber (CLT)

Engineered Wood I-Joist

Structural Insulated Panel

Engineered Wood


Structural Failure Time

Experimental Count

Maximum (Min:Sec)

Minimum (Min:Sec)

Average (Min:Sec)

Standard Deviation

Dimensional Lumber 10 20:40 7:04 15:01 4:10

Engineered I-Joist 8 23:10 2:20 8:17 3:54

Castellated I-Joist 3 8:10 6:50 7:23 0:42

Hybrid Trusses 3 6:00 5:30 5:50 0:17

Steel I-Joist 2 10:08 6:11 8:10 2:48

MPC Wood Trusses 2 6:08 3:28 4:48 1:53

Joist without Fire Resistant Protection Failure Time Comparison


Copyright Underwriters Laboratories


Joists without Fire Resistant Protection Failure Times versus Fire Department Response Times





http://thecompanyofficer.com/tag/unprotected-wood-frame/



• Tall timber buildings



https://solarjuice.com/blog/buildings-and-pv/solar-panels-and-fire/http://www.feuerwehr-goch.de/index.php?id=22&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=596&cHash=982afcd5c431b7299f67de4af397cc43



http://abclocal.go.com/wpvi/gallery?section=news/local&id=9226626&photo=1



• High density housing, smaller streets, …


http://www.homefiresprinkler.org/images/FM-Global-Environmental-Study.pdf




• Combination of high density housing, LEL systems, combustible insulation, smaller streets, water conservation, …


FPRF study: green building attributes

• 80 Green Building Elements / Attributes─ Structural Materials

and Systems (9)─ Exterior Materials and

Systems (13)─ Façade Attributes (4)─ Interior Materials and

Finishes (9)─ Interior Space

Attributes (10)─ Building Systems &

Issues (12)─ Alternative Energy

Systems (9)─ Site Issues (14)


FPRF study: risks / hazards• 22 Fire Risk / Hazard

Attributes─ Presents a potential hazard E.g., ignition, electrical shock,

explosion, toxicity─ Hazard attributes E.g., readily ignitable, burns

readily once ignited, contributes more fuel / increased HRR, etc.

─ Failure potential E.g., shorter time to failure,

failure affects burning characteristics or smoke spread or…

─ May impact building FP system or feature E.g., smoke/heat venting,

suppression effectiveness, apparatus access, firefighter access & operations…

Poses potential ignition hazard

Poses potential shock hazard

Poses potential explosion hazard

Poses potential toxicity hazard

Readily ignitable

Burns readily once ignited

Contributes more fuel / increased heat release rate (HRR)

Material affects burning characteristics

Fast(er) fire growth rate

Significant smoke production/hazard

Potential for shorter time to failure

Failure affects burning characteristics

Failure presents smoke spread concern

Failure presents flame spread concern

Material presents flame spread concern

May impact smoke/heat venting

May impact occupant evacuation

May impact fire‐fighter (FF) water availability

May impact suppression effectiveness

May impact fire apparatus access

May impact fire‐fighter (FF) access and operations

May impact containment of runoff


FPRF study: risks / hazards

Poses

poten

tial ig

nition

haza

rd

Poses

poten

tial sh

ock h

azard

Poten

tial e

xplos

ion ha

zard

Poses

poten

tial to

xicity

hazar

d

Read

ily ig

nitab

le

Burns

read

ily on

ce ig

nited

Contr

ibutes

more

fuel

/ incre

ased H

RR

Mater

ial af

fects

burn

ing ch

aracte

ristic

s

Fast(

er) fir

e gro

wth r

ate

Signif

icant

smok

e pro

ducti

on/h

azard

Poten

tial fo

r sho

rter t

ime t

o fail

ure

Failu

re aff

ects

burn

ing ch

aracte

ristic

s

Failu

re pre

sents

stab

ility c

once

rn

Failu

re pre

sents

smok

e spr

ead c

once

rn

Failu

re pre

sents

flame

sprea

d con

cern

Mater

ial pr

esent

s flam

e spr

ead c

once

rn

May i

mpac

t smo

ke/h

eat v

entin

g

May i

mpac

t occu

pant

evacu

ation

May i

mpac

t FF w

ater a

vaila

bility

May i

mpac

t sup

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on ef

fectiv

enes

s

May i

mpac

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appa

ratus

acce

ss

May i

mpac

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ccess

and o

perat

ions

May i

mpac

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tainm

ent o

f runo

ff

Exterior Materials and Systems

‐ Structura l integrated panel (SIP)

‐ Exterior insulation & finish (EFIS)

‐ Rigid foam insulation

‐ Spray‐appl ied foam insulation

‐ Foi l insulation systems

‐ High‐performance glazing

‐ Low‐emiss ivi ty & reflective coating

‐ Double‐skin façade / cavi ty wal l

‐ Bamboo, other cel lulos ic

‐ Bio‐polymers , FRPs

‐ Vegetative roof systems

‐ Insulating materia l

‐ Thickness

‐ Type of vegetation

‐ PVC ra inwater catchment

‐ Exterior cable / cable trays

‐ Extended solar roof panels

‐ Awnings / exterior solar shades

‐ Exterior vegetative covering

Façade Attributes

‐ Area of glazing

‐ Area of combustible materia l Copyright FPRF, 2012


FPRF study: risks / hazards

Poses

poten

tial ig

nition

haza

rd

Poses

poten

tial sh

ock h

azard

Poten

tial e

xplos

ion ha

zard

Poses

poten

tial to

xicity

hazar

d

Read

ily ig

nitab

le

Burns

read

ily on

ce ig

nited

Contr

ibutes

more

fuel

/ incre

ased H

RR

Mater

ial af

fects

burn

ing ch

aracte

ristic

s

Fast(

er) fir

e gro

wth r

ate

Signif

icant

smok

e pro

ducti

on/h

azard

Poten

tial fo

r sho

rter t

ime t

o fail

ure

Failu

re aff

ects

burn

ing ch

aracte

ristic

s

Failu

re pre

sents

stab

ility c

once

rn

Failu

re pre

sents

smok

e spr

ead c

once

rn

Failu

re pre

sents

flame

sprea

d con

cern

Mater

ial pr

esent

s flam

e spr

ead c

once

rn

May i

mpac

t smo

ke/h

eat v

entin

g

May i

mpac

t occu

pant

evacu

ation

May i

mpac

t FF w

ater a

vaila

bility

May i

mpac

t sup

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on ef

fectiv

enes

s

May i

mpac

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ss

May i

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and o

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ions

May i

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tainm

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Relat

ive ris

k leve

l

Exterior Materials and Systems

‐ Structura l integrated panel (SIP)

‐ Exterior insulation & finish (EFIS)

‐ Rigid foam insulation

‐ Spray‐appl ied foam insulation

‐ Foi l insulation systems

‐ High‐performance glazing

‐ Low‐emiss ivi ty & reflective coating

‐ Double‐skin façade / cavity wal l

‐ Bamboo, other cel lulos ic

‐ Bio‐polymers , FRPs

‐ Vegetative roof systems

‐ Insulating materia l

‐ Thickness

‐ Type of vegetation

‐ PVC ra inwater catchment

‐ Exterior cable / cable trays

‐ Extended solar roof panels

‐ Exterior solar shades / awning

‐ Exterior vegatative covering

Façade Attributes

‐ Area of glazing

‐ Area of combustible materia l

Risk Ranking Key

Low or N/A Presents a low risk when unmitigated or is not applicable to the listed attributesModerate Presents a moderate risk when unmitigated.

High Presents a high risk when unmitigated.

Copyright FPRF, 2012


FPRF study: report

• Report available at: http://www.nfpa.org/research/fire-protection-research-foundation/projects-reports-and-proceedings/building-and-life-safety/general-life-safety-issues/fire-safety-challenges-of-green-buildings

• Other reports on related topics also available at NFPA Research Foundation site─ Fire performance of tall buildings─ Fire performance of exterior wall systems─ Hazard assessment of Lithium Ion batteries for storage

systems (underway – report not yet available)


Follow-up research: DHS project

Research effort supported by grant from the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Assistance to Firefighters Grant program, award EMW-2012-FP-01336, US$1,000,000


DHS project: framing

Conventional Framing

Advanced Framing

Wall stud spacing

2x4 wood framing spaced 16 inches on center

2x6 wood framing spaced 24 inches on center

Top plates Double top plates Single top plates Corner framing

Three stud corners

Two stud corners

Framing support members around opening

Multiple Jack Studs and cripple

Minimum use of Jack studs and cripple

No. of header

Double or triple headers

Single header

• A system of construction framing techniques designed to optimize materials usage and increase energy efficiency.


DHS project: failure modes

• Loss of vertical framing alignment loss of single top plate. ─ Loss of top plates causes

wall collapse─ A structural failure of a stud

in a fire leads to the roof collapse.

• Additional insulation adds to fuel

• Flame spread through one top plate


DHS project: SIP framing

• SIPs are composite structural panels with an insulating core of rigid foam and structural facings.

• Can be used for wall, floors and roofs.


DHS project: SIP framing• A strong, structural bond between

the three layers is essential to the load bearing ability of the SIP

• The load carried by the SIP is transferred to ground by the OSB skins, held in position by the fully bonded insulation core.

• Structurally, “they perform similar to a steel I-beam”.

• Type of shell construction: Load is distributed evenly across the entire panel.


DHS project: structural facilities

• WPI fire performance laboratory

• 190m2 of space with 9.2m ceiling height

• 5-6MW fire • 6m x 6m exhaust hood• Accommodate two-

story building fire test


DHS project: structural rig design

• 2 Semi-Permanent Walls─ Constructed of Steel and Aluminum─ Include Vent Openings

• Dimensions─ Length – 16 ft (4.88 m)─ Width – 14 ft (4.27 m)─ Height – 16 ft (4.88 m)

• The compartment rig features the semi-permanent walls and floor

• Stick frame walls and floor/ceiling are built up around these walls


• Designed to provide uniform thermal environment• Looked at standard fires and ‘modern’ fire loads• Conducted FDS analysis to support design


-200

0

200

400

600

800

1000

1200

1400

0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5

Tem

pera

ture

(de

g C)

Time (hour)

Time-Temperature Curve

UL

ASTM E119

Swedish Curve (vent=0.12)



Twitter page - https://twitter.com/greenbldgfire


DHS project: natural ventilation

• Building ventilation is determined by─ Complex building geometry─ Internal dynamics

• Unrealistic computational power needed to compute all scenarios

• A laboratory scaling approach is necessary

UMD Experimental Facility


DHS project: saltwater modeling

Fire Experiments

Fire Source

Smoke


DHS project: saltwater modelingSaltwater Experiments

Saltwater Source

Fresh Water

VentAcrylic Model

Salt Water


DHS project: sloped ceiling model3 Ceiling Slopes 3D Printed Injectors

laminar outflow

Moveable Floor


DHS project: unsymmetrical flow


DHS project: façade model

• Clear acrylic• Disassembles into

two floors with a double skin façade and louvers

• Two basic features –exchangeable windows [1] and adjustable louvers [2]


DHS project: louver configurations

Three different louver positions tested:

b) 45a) 90 c) Closed

Double Skin façade

• Goal to understand how louver angle effects smoke transport and window heating


DHS project: louver test results

• Angled louvers make the plume run down thin and close to the wall, however closed louvers result in a thicker wall flow while running down to the next compartment

• Louver position effects density, not filling speed of second compartment

b) 45a) 90 c) Closed


DHS project: smoke in 2nd space

• Louver angle does not affect filling of the second compartment

• Salt water running in the second compartment seems to be darker when the louvers are angled than when they are closed

45°Louver

90°Louver

ClosedLouvers

t/s10

30 50

70

90


Summary

• FPRF project complete – report on the FPRF website

• DHS effort targeted for completion in July 2017─ Fire tests this year – structure─ Salt water modeling – ventilation

• Report likely available December 2017• Future work targeted on insulation, exterior

claddings, integrated PV


Thank you for your attention!

Questions?

[email protected]

fire safety challenges with sustainable buildings ... · ©brian meacham, 30 september 2016 11 fprf...

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