Chapter 13 Building Design Flashcards
According to the State Fire Marshal’s Office, there are approximately 1,700 high-rise buildings in the State of California; of these, Los Angeles has approximately ___.
745
Most of the high-rise buildings in Los Angeles consist of commercial occupancies. About ___ percent are habitational, such as hotels, apartment buildings, and condos.
20 to 25
High-rise buildings are divided into two groups: “___” and “____.”
Existing High-Rise / New High-Rise
Approximately ___ of the high-rise buildings in Los Angeles are new high-rises.
225
The Los Angeles City Hall, with ___, and the USC-LA County General Hospital, with ___ , are exceptions to this rule.
27 stories / 19 stories
A “High-Rise Retrofit Program” was initiated by the LAFD and the state in ___ to bring these buildings into conformance with newer building codes.
1976
Type I (fire resistive) construction is that type of construction in which the structural members, including walls, columns, beams, floors and roofs are of ____, and are required to have varying fire-resistive rating depending on their usage.
noncombustible or limited combustible materials
The Type I building is designed to withstand the most severe fire to be expected within the building for ____ without structural failure.
two or more hours
Post 1960 : However, instead of reinforced concrete, they were generally built with Steel Beams Coated With a Fire Retardant Material commonly known as ___.
Mono-Kote.
By the 1960’s, the codes required “COMPARTMENTATION,” that is, subdivision of buildings into “fire areas.” This was accomplished by providing _____ between floor levels and around vertical shafts. ____ and other fire protection assemblies are installed to protect penetrations through these separations.
two-hour, fire-resistive separations / Fire doors
___ on the periphery of some high-rise buildings were constructed to provide “smoke-free” exiting and access.
Smoke Towers
In a smoke tower, you travel through a vestibule where smoke can escape___ as you move between the building and the stairshaft.
to the outside atmosphere
Each new high-rise is required to maintain a ___ Fire Control Room previously known as the building control station, in an approved location (usually the ground floor).
one-hour rated
All new high-rise buildings must have an ____, a system capable of exhausting smoke directly to the exterior of the building, or perimeter windows must be openable or have breakable tempered glass in each ____ , or a combination of the above.
emergency smoke control system / corner and every 50 linear feet
HVAC systems designed for smoke removal may also be used, providing they exhaust a minimum of ___ per hour, and exhaust to the exterior of the building without recirculating to the other sections of the building.
six air changes
Most new high-rise buildings have an Emergency Helicopter Landing Facility on the roof. The number inside the ____ pad identifies the load capacity of the pad in _____. The numbering is ____.
50’ by 50’ / thousands of pounds / 10’ wide
Also, such fire escapes were required to have wired glass or equivalent protection for the windows on all landings and within ____ on either side of the landing.
5’
At least two approved means of egress were required to be provided from each floor level. At least one was to be an enclosed,____ ; the other could be an existing____ if no other stairway was available.
one-hour stairshaft / fire escape
A smoke detector in each lobby serving automatic elevators which would ____.
recall the elevators
A Smoke Control System to remove smoke and heat had to be provided. Older buildings with ___ needed nothing more.
openable windows
The post-1960, sealed, high-rise buildings normally had breakable Tempered Glass around the perimeter of the building every ____, mechanical ventilation could be provided by modifying their HVAC system.
50 linear feet
Effective emergency power was ___ by the state mandated Retrofit Program. Also, electrically operated fire pumps and elevators did not have to be provided with a back-up system during power loss.
NOT REQUIRED
Approximately ___ of the older existing high-rise buildings chose to not comply with the requirements of the High-Rise Retrofit Program, primarily because of the problem of providing two approved means of egress. These buildings were___.
30 / vacated and sealed.
As a result of the_____, a Retrofit Sprinkler Ordinance was passed in August of 1988 requiring installation of fire sprinklers in all existing high-rise office buildings.
First Interstate Bank Building Fire in May 1988
Retrofit Sprinkler Program 1988:
This ordinance effects ___ high-rise buildings in the City of Los Angeles
356
Retrofit Sprinkler Program (1988)
1. Provision of ____ elevator lobby vestibules.
one-hour rated
Retrofit Sprinkler Program (1988)
2. Addition of ___ generating systems
emergency power
Retrofit Sprinkler Program (1988)
3. Provision of a _____ in stairshafts that access the top floor and does not penetrate the roof.
20 square foot, manually-operated ventilation opening
Retrofit Sprinkler Program (1988)
4. Provide a ___ in buildings which are equipped with Pressure Reducing Valves (P.R.V.’s). This provides a means to flow test P.R.V.’s and return the water back into the tank without running hose lines up the entire stairshaft.
3” drain
All high-rise buildings have some type of Smoke Control, such as: _____ , In sealed buildings, breakable tempered glass windows on the perimeter of the building every ______, These are supposed to be identified by ____ minimum luminous or reflective Decals in a lower corner which indicates they are “tempered glass,” or; Automatic Smoke Removal System, or;• A combination of the above.
Openable windows / 50 linear feet with 20 square foot opening / 2”
Special Extinguishing Systems:
Halon 1301 total flooding systems are usually used to protect _______.
computers and other high-value equipment.
Halon 1301 is a ____ which interrupts the normal process of combustion, thereby effectively extinguishing fires in hidden areas.
halogenated hydrocarbon gas
________ of the room will then be composed of halon gas.
Five percent or more of the volume
The long-term effect of halon on humans is unknown, although industry claims that it is completely____ .
nontoxic
Halon will decompose into toxic gases, principally ___ , if permitted to heat to approximately _____.
phosgene / 900 degrees Fahrenheit.
Helicopter landing pad is =
50’ x 50’
Circle on landing pad is =
20’ in diameter / 2’ line width
Paint on landing pad is =
Red
Numbers on landing pad is =
10’ High / 2’ line width
Touchdown pad boundary line width =
18’’ line width
If the touchdown pad is elevated more than ___ above the adjoining roof level, a horizontally attached safety net shall be installed around the perimeter.
30 inches
Obstruction free zone shall be ____ from the edge of the takeoff and landing area.
25 feet
The numeral shall be oriented towards ____
magnetic north
The preferred touchdown pad background color is ___
white.
