Crisis-proof?

Dubai How do you go to a safer ground if and when a crisis or fire strikes in a super-tall building?

In the case of Burj Dubai, "safer ground" doesn't necessarily mean terra firma - the earth, its designers said.

In a paper, the tower's fire and security consultants Chicago-based Rolf Jensen & Associates (RJA), outlined the "defend in place" strategy in a crisis through allocation of areas of refuge - fireproof bunkers located on different levels of the $4.1 billion (Dh15 billion) tower.

RJA's Jon Evenson and Aaron Vanney, authors of Burj Dubai: Life Safety and Crisis Response Planning Enhancements, a copy of which was obtained by XPRESS, explained that in case of a crisis, occupants will be directed by a crisis team to any of four refuge areas - at levels 42, 75, 111 and 138 of the tower.

The response will depend on the crisis' severity - categorised from Level 1 to 4.

"Any incident in the Burj Dubai will hit the headlines... so the best safety and security system available today has been used in this tower," a senior safety official at the Burj Dubai told XPRESS on condition of anonymity.

Lifeboats

What sets Burj Dubai apart from other skyscrapers is the use of fire-rated lifts that can act as "lifeboats" during evacuation, said the authors.

"Elevator-assisted evacuation strategy will rely on lifts that have been enhanced beyond standard code requirements including water-resistant equipment and emergency power backup," said Evenson and Vanney. Ten such elevators are installed at the Burj Dubai out of more than 50 lifts in place.

Disaster management

The Burj Dubai's crisis response plan calls for the creation of a "crisis command team" (CCT) to oversee response efforts and work with zone response teams (ZRT) tasked to manage response efforts in their local areas. Occupants will be briefed on what to do and whom to call during the first sign of crisis. Once a crisis is confirmed, they will be directed to remain in the refuge areas until they are evacuated.

The building is also equipped with pressurised exit stairs. The designers have also used smoke-resistant construction that separates each residential unit, while there are separate corridor exhaust systems for the hotel, apartment and office floors.

Compared to most towers, Burj Dubai is the only one using "quick-response" sprinklers which are better than standard-response sprinklers. Evenson and Vanney said Burj Dubai actually "surpassed" existing requirements of the International Building Code (IBC) and the British Standards - and that Dubai Civil Defence has reviewed its crisis response, fire and life safety plan.

Security facts

10 fire-rated elevators are in place with back-up power for mass evacuation and to facilitate Civil Defence response

Two firemen's elevators up to level 111 and one for level 112 through 160

57 super-fast elevators to transport people quickly to the top

The building is also equipped with smoke and toxic gas-control system, including pressurised exit stairs, smoke-resistant construction separating each of the 30,000 residential units