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Technical Note (National Research Council of Canada. Division of Building Research), 1959-11-01
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Galbreath, M.
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"
DIVISION OF BUILDING RESEARCH
NATIONAL RESEARCH COUNCIL OF CANADA
TECIHIN JICAIL
NOTlE
ｾ
No.
295
NOT FOR PUBLICATION FOR INTERNAL USE
PREPARED BY
M. Galbreath CHECKED BY R.S.F. APPROVED BY R.F.L.
ｾ November, 1959.
Information of NFPA Safety to Life Committee
SUBJECT A COMPARISON OF DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF
BUILDING EXITS - A PRELIMINARY REPORT PREPARED FOR
This study is a comparison of the exit requirements in the National Building Code of Canada (1953) with the recommen-dations of the National Bureau of Standards as contained in NBS Publication MI5l, "Design and Construction of Building Exits".
Information is factual and contains no recommendations or suggestions. The authors would be glad to know of any discrepancies between
their report and the two documents compared.
The Building Code Committee of the Bureau of Standards, Washington, carried out a comprehensive study of exits between
1931 and 1935. Their report and the recommendations of the
Committee were pUblished as Publication Ml5l, "The Design and
Construction of BUilding Exits" in 1935. The figures in the
publication relating to the design of exits are .compared ｷｩｾｨ the
exit reqUirements in the National Building Code (Table I).
The Bureau of Standards Committee studied eXisting buildings, building codes, architecta drawings, and fire statistics, and
carried out a series of experiments to determine the rate of
travel of people on stairs and corridors. The Committee worked
closely with the NFPA Committee on Safety to Life and shared in
the results of the NFPA studies. ReqUirements of the NFPA Exits
Code are very similar to the recommendations of the. Bureau of Standards Committee and may be derived in part from them.
The Bureau of Standards Commi ttee has set down the theories
of exit design which it has used. Two conditions are associated
with the height of the bUilding and three directly with occupants.
The folloWing are the principles suggested:
1. In a low building it is assumed that people will move outside
in a steady flow.
2. In a high buildizm a continuous flow down stairs· cannot be
expected, and therefore space should be provided on the
... 2 ...
it is recognized that this would provide for maximum safety, economic considerations make it undesirable. The Bureau of Standards Committee therefore recommended modifications based on occupancy as follows:
(a)
(b)
Where people are awake the presence of fire is likely to be detected at an early stage and the bUilding can be evacuated relatively
quickly. In these circumstances it is
suggested that space be provided in stairwells of high buildings for the occupants of half the floors above the first; in low buildings
the rate of flow applies. '
Where people are asleeE fire warning is
likely to be delayed, and when awakened they are likely to be confused and slow in finding
exits. In these circumstances and where the
occupants are infirm or bedridden, space should be prOVided in the stairwell for all the people in the building.
(c) Where people congregate in large crowds,
as in theatres and assembly bUildings
generally, there is the additional danger of panic unless a clear unobstructed passage to
the outside is provided. Exits in these
types of occupancy should be designed on the principle of flow.
The rate of flow suggested as a result of experi-ments carried out by the Bureau of Standards is 60 persons per unit exit width (22 in.) per minute through doorways,
and
45
persons per unit exit width per minute on stairs. Thesetheories have not been applied ､ｩｲ･｣ｾｬｹ in the
recommen-dations of the Bureau of Standards Committee. The method
of design they suggest is based on floor area and occupancy.
There are no factors taking height into account. The
Committee have noted, however, that adequate exit width in 90% of buildings would be prOVided by the requirement
of two exits as a minimum. They suggest that the foregoing
oonsiderations would become critical only in the few larger buildings.
Further study of the application of a satisfaotory theory to the design of exits appears to be desirable. !he Bureau of Standards recommendations are presumably
based on their theories. The NFPA has modified some of
these figures, possibly as a result of experience. The
NBC reqUirements, however, are based on a different concept, that of occupancy of individual rooms rather than of the building as a Whole, and it will be necessary to examine in detail the application of design factors in order to arrive at a satisfactory measure of safety and economy.
- 3 ..
4It
References1. Design and'construction of building exits. Misc.
Pub. MI5l, U.S. Dept. of Commerce, Nat. Bureau of Standards, Washington.
2. National Building Code of Canada (1953). Issued by
Assoc. Committee on the National Building Code, BRC, ottawa.
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