Elevator hoistways and other multistory openings, such as atriums and open staircases, require special attention to prevent the vertical migration of smoke and fire in the event of an emergency. Unfortunately, traditional fire- and smoke-management solutions such as enclosed elevator lobbies, elevator pressurization systems, compartmentalization, and smoke evacuation systems undercut an architect’s ability to create the open floorplan desired by so many building owners and can seriously strain a project’s budget. A new solution is gaining momentum in designs around the United States that delivers both the life-saving functionality demanded during a fire event and the out-of-sight, out-of-mind, design-supporting presence dreamed of by architects and owners alike during typical day-to-day operations.

All images courtesy of Smoke Guard

New deployable solutions in fire and smoke containment enable architects to create more space-savvy, open designs while satisfying the latest life-safety codes.

A deployable smoke- and fire-rated curtain strikes the delicate balance of safety and aesthetics. This system can offer the protection against vertical smoke migration required by the various codes during an emergency. When unneeded, the system is stored in a retracted position that leaves spaces clear and open.

This course will explore the advantages of using flexible fabric solutions to satisfy fire- and smoke-related code requirements at vertical openings throughout a building and describe how these systems are being employed by design firms in high-profile projects to create the safe, corporate-culture-forward, awe-inspiring interiors that their industry-leading clients demand.

FIRE AND SMOKE SAFETY CODES

The fire and life-safety codes designed to stem vertical smoke migration that architects must meet today were, in many cases, informed by hard lessons learned in the aftermath of great tragedies. For example, codes that require multiple protected means of egress in hotels were first introduced after the fire at the Winecoff Hotel in Atlanta in 1946.

Built in 1912, the Winecoff had been advertised as fireproof, a claim made in reference to its revolutionary steel construction. However, in the early morning hours of December 7, 1946, a fire erupted on the third floor of the 15-story structure. The one, single stairway serving all 15 floors was compromised, trapping guests above the third floor in the burning building. Deemed the deadliest hotel fire in U.S. history, 119 people died that night. The disaster sparked a national outcry for a better, more concentrated effort dedicated to preventing fire-related losses of life and property. The National Conference on Fire Prevention was created by President Harry Truman the following year, in 1947. New life-safety requirements emerged from the conference, such as requiring multiple protected means of egress and self-closing fire-resistive doors. These two key provisions were quickly adopted across the United States.

Since then, life-safety codes have proliferated to address the importance of controlling the spread of fire and smoke throughout a building. Today, there are various building and fire codes that can be adopted, including the International Building Code (IBC), written by the International Code Council (ICC); NFPA 5000: Building Construction and Safety Code, written by the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA); and NFPA 101: Life Safety Code, also written by NFPA. These codes define the minimum fire-prevention performance and design elements that must be incorporated into a structure. Items within their sphere of influence include structural integrity, ventilation, means of egress, fire prevention, and smoke containment, among others.

Smoke containment is an especially important aspect of life safety because in a fire event, smoke inhalation often causes more fatalities than fire exposure. The goal of smoke containment is to prevent the movement of smoke and heat from one area to another, allowing building occupants to escape safely and making it easier for firefighters to address the fire. When a fire starts, a smoke plume made up of hot gases and smoke rises until it reaches the ceiling, where it starts to spread out horizontally. However, the smoke and hot gas want to continue to rise, and that is exactly what they do whenever they reach areas of the interior building structure that will allow it. A fire that starts on the third floor of a hotel, for instance, will reach the stairwell and climb higher and higher, breaching floors far above where the fire originated, just as it did in the fire at the Winecoff.

CASE STUDY: FACEBOOK LA

In the Facebook LA offices, Gensler selected a fire-rated perimeter curtain to frame all four sides of the upper-level atrium to protect peripheral spaces in case of a fire (top). Openness was a key objective in the Facebook LA office, so architects created a sun-soaked atrium that presented challenges related to fire and smoke control that had to be addressed (bottom).

The offices of tech and social media giants are often referenced for the latest and greatest innovations in the approach to office spaces, such as nap pods, slides, play spaces, and third spaces, which are casual seating areas that offer employees alternative workspaces to their desks. In addition to inspiration, these interiors offer the design community excellent examples in how to achieve the next level of design while also satisfying the many building and life-safety codes that have been established over the years to keep people safe.

Headquartered in Menlo Park, a city in California's San Francisco Bay Area, Facebook first established offices in the Playa Vista neighborhood in 2011. In 2016, the company moved into its current Playa Vista office, referred to internally as Facebook LA, a two-story, 35,000-square-foot location that can accommodate 200 employees. But, before these employees could find their desks, the interior was renovated by Gensler to better match corporate culture.

In a 2016 article titled “Facebook’s new L.A. digs have frozen yogurt, yoga, and no privacy” published by the Los Angeles Times, Brian Stromquist, design manager at Gensler, is quoted as saying of the design, “We explored concepts that are integral to the Facebook way of working—agility, flexibility, and innovation—and crafted them into a space that evokes L.A.’s culture of arts and entertainment.” Bright colors and a few of the company’s best-known mottos—” Move Fast And Break Things” and “Fail Harder”—were incorporated throughout to add vibrancy and a reminder of purpose.

One key objective of this two-story renovation was to open up the interior and increase the amount of natural light present in the space. To accomplish that, Gensler removed a portion of the second floor to create a two-story staircase and sun-soaked atrium. The creation of an atrium brought with it new fire and smoke-control-related challenges that had to be addressed. The International Building Code (IBC) requires that smoke control be incorporated into vertical openings, like an atrium, to prevent smoke from traveling unchecked up through an atrium and deeper into the building or from originating on a floor and finding its way into the larger, central atrium. A fire-rated curtain can shield staircases or escalators from smoke and flames, or provide a reservoir for smoke on the upper floors of an atrium. To provide the requisite opening protective for fire and smoke control, while maintaining the feeling of openness necessary to support corporate culture, Gensler selected a deployable fire-rated perimeter curtain to be installed along all four sides of the upper-level atrium to protect the peripheral spaces. This perimeter curtain can be an effective complement to existing mechanical fire- and smoke-containment systems or additional fire curtains.

This is how the system works. The 36-foot by 32-foot by 12-foot pleated curtain is formed, for this project, in the shape of a square that perfectly frames the four sides of the atrium. When smoke is detected in the building, the curtain deploys, compartmentalizing the office areas on the second floor from the large, open atrium space. When the threat has been addressed, the curtains are retracted into the recessed headbox in the ceiling and hidden from sight until needed again. This type of smoke- and fire-rated retractable solution offers projects like Facebook LA a way to satisfy fire and life-safety codes while still keeping their interiors open, bright, and beautiful.