Skyscraper boom spurs fire worries
AS skyscrapers spring up in booming Chinese cities concerns are being expressed within the industry about the capability of local fire departments to prevent and fight fires.
In Shenzhen, three buildings about 68 storeys each are being constructed. In Guangzhou, another 68-storey complex, Sky Central Plaza, will be completed in 1996.
In Shanghai, Jinmao Mansion, an 88-storey tower housing hotel, shopping and recreational facilities, is expected to come into service in five years in the Pudong area.
The inland city of Chongqing will erect a 110-storey skyscraper with Japanese help.
Although the recent spate of fires in Shenzhen and Fujian factories has exposed lax enforcement of fire prevention regulations and poor fire-fighting capabilities, there is no end in sight to the skyscraper race.
Guangzhou recently said it planned to erect two 140-storey towers as its landmark.
Alex Chu, director of international design consultant RMJM Hong Kong, said that while China had introduced strict fire prevention regulations over the years, they might not have been updated to take into account recent developments and new challenges posed by the skyscrapers.
In addition, the enforcement of regulations has always been at the discretion of local government officials.
Mr Chu said the capability, experience and equipment of local fire services department for dealing with fires in skyscrapers were limited.
In China, a fire strategy for a new building should be presented to the local fire services department for approval, but experience was important for this exercise, he said.
Architects should adhere to the strict standards adopted by other countries even though there might not be relevant requirements in China, he said.
Mr Chu said foreign architects normally would not decline an invitation to design a skyscraper in China despite these problems, but would take the situation into account.
For example, if the local fire services department had insufficient equipment to deal with skyscraper fires, architects should incorporate extra safeguards into their design.
But Mr Chu noted: ''We have little control outside the building. For example, the heavy traffic jams in many cities might delay the arrival of firefighting machines.'' Wang Bing, assistant general manager of Shenzhen CATIC Property Corp, the developer of the 68-storey Shenzhen AVIC Plaza, agreed the fire services department in the city was not capable of coping with fires in skyscrapers.
As a result, the developer had to upgrade fire prevention and fire-fighting equipment in designing the building.
The firm has also sponsored visits by officials from the Shenzhen municipal fire services department to Hong Kong and the US where they can learn skills from their counterparts in handling skyscraper fires.
The Shenzhen municipal government is reviewing its fire-fighting strategies for skyscrapers.
Mr Chu said architects should ensure there were sufficient evacuation routes for occupants and refuge floors to prevent the fire spreading.
Mechanical services such as sprinklers, water tanks and smoke and heat detectors should be installed, in addition to backup supplies of water and electricity.
The management of a building must ensure that escape routes were not blocked and emergency power generators were properly maintained and tested.
