Standing Tall

SKYSCRAPER SELF-DEFENSE

Builders are exploring new ways to
make office workers feel safe. Options include protective steel plating on the building's facade, blastproof escape routes, safety floors where people can wait out a fire, and laser-based
devices that can identify dangerous chemicals.




1. Refuge areas: Located at 15-floor intervals, these concrete-reinforced bunkers have high heat resistance.




2. Bombproof elevator shafts: These will enable firefighters to quickly reach the problem area.




3. Pressurized stairwells: Located within the building's concrete core, these fireproof stairwells connect to the refuge areas and provide a smoke-free escape route.




4. Emergency command center: The building's security facility is located on a floor above the lobby where it is less vulnerable to car bombs.



5. Concrete core: A central vertical column of concrete suppots the building's weight and provides a fireproof shell for emergency stairs and elevators.




Concrete-encased steel columns: Concrete's heat resistance will delay the melting of structural columns during a fire.




Exterior steel plating: Covering a building's concrete facade with steel plates will help deflect a high-speed impact.




Wireless fire alarms: Sensors on each floor are connected independently to the emergency command center.




Poison and explosives detectors: A laser spectrometer continuously analyzes air samples and alerts security staff to chemical dangers.




Sprinklers: High-tech sprinklers emit a mist that extinguishes fires without damaging sensitive equipment.