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Saurav C
And I'll ask my first question to Mr.Sooraj Nair, thank you for joining us. We talk about tall buildings, We generally talk about only heights, 200 meters, 300meters, Now how do you define a tall building? Is it only heights or is it like a human character? So many facets, different facets, some other aspects of tall building. How do you define? How the codes define? How the global standards define tall buildings?
Sooraj Nair
I believe the codes are quite well written with respect to where the building has been positioned. So in India, when we say tall building, the NBC is saying 15 meters is anything above 15 meters is tall. And I believe the DCR talks about 24 meters high is a tall building. But if you look at what American codes are or NFPs, again, NFP is something closer to what 23 meters tall. There are certain codes which are even saying. Anything between 30 meters to 100 meters are called tall. So it's not just the height of the building. What I believe and what generally the international forum believes is, any building that has a structure which is going to impede or the height of a building which is going to impede the evacuation strategy should be the definition of a tall building. So how tall and what are the evacuation strategy should be the definition of calling it as a tall or super tall or whatever of this.
Saurav C
Great. So, it's not only the height. No. There is another aspect to it. In fact, that is what we wanted to hear. Now if I may add, well, another thing from if I can very simply, you know, define tall building when I refer to BIS 15 or 105, They have given the definitions and one of the definitions is the distance between the lowest sprinkler and the highest is 45 meters. I have simplified this a lot, but then, you know, the essence is that. Thanks for giving different kind of assets to tall building.
Saurav C
Now, Priti, ma'am, my next question is to you. Since you have been working in Pune for quite some time, Pune is 1 of the cities, which we does not really connect with tall buildings. So is tall buildings really relevant in Pune? Or what is the future of Pune with respect to tall buildings?
Priti
Okay. So as all of we know that Pune is becoming an hub for IT industry and education. So more and more people are migrating in Pune from different places. Definitely, there is a horizontal space in Pune compared to Mumbai. But due to transport and accessibility of reaching over there, there is definitely some restrictions on horizontal expansion. So, Pune has tall buildings has made lots of sense in terms of vertical growth for Pune. As we can see, our central business places are developing because of vertical growth and horizontal expansion is not possible. So is the residential areas. We can see the trump tower as an exam. Even the mentality of people living in posh areas has also increased, we can see the example of Kalyani Nagar's Trump Tower as in that case. Even we can see Magarpatta is developed as an IT hub, and so is the Amanora.
Saurav C
Yeah. So maybe in a nutshell, yes. Pune and tall buildings, it's here to stay. And tomorrow we'll see lot of tall buildings in Pune. So that's actually good for us. It's good for the industry. So, you know, what I'd actually want to ask you, Suraj is, what are some of the say design and installation considerations from fire protection point of view that should be taken care of in such kind of buildings?
Sooraj Nair
So I think anything passive strategy is always defined when we are building a tall building, come what may 15 meters and above? But the important aspect during construction of a tall building, post construction and pre construction is very critical because during of a building itself, the building is potential having a lot of potential that it can develop into fire because of the way the the materials have been transferred, the strategies around hot works around the building. So pre construction, the firefighting measures have to be in place in terms of how to get that activated. And post construction, very important is the whatever we gonna put as active fire measures, they should function for their intent what they came in for. So like we talk about we're providing about building direction system, fire alarm system. But there's so many false alarms that keeps on happening on the building. That false alarm can create panic in a building. So how to address a false alarm to understand them. It's very critical. Evacuation strategy in a tall building even after laying all these aspects are very, very whether it's a phase evacuation or whether it's a total building evacuation based on the building height. Smoke control, Dharkar sir also spoke about in the aspects of smoke control. Testing all these are very critical, getting the smoke machines or all those fans being tested for every 3 months or 6 months. Figuring that they should work. Integrator of the fire alarm panel because the fire alarm panel which is supposed to sit in your fire command center and where the 5 personals are supposed to direct the actions around it. If that doesn't survive the building fire, then then it's gonna be a catastrophic digital disaster that's in making and the net the networking connectivity between the fire emergency panel and the various stock back that's happening between them. That these networking connectivity also has to survive. So I heard sir are talking about the cables and all. We don't put money on those lines. It's very important that we put those money on these kind of surviving cable sand information that needs to pass through. I think these are critical aspect post building and also preoccupation of the building.
Saurav C
Thanks a lot. In fact, very interesting personally for me, because whenever we thought about design and installation, we always think about post I mean, in a post construction, we talk about the fire protection system, extinguishers, file. Can you briefly talk about what exactly is that pre occupation. What is that? Is it site management? What is it?
Sooraj Nair
So practically preoccupation is all about being site management, how the hot works in the building is happening. The HSC aspects within the building. It's also very critical because it's not just the fire but also the safety aspect around how the work has been done that can lead to accidents which can be spilled over. So very critically, it's all about the logistics of how these moments have to happen. Like you said, external staircase has been created for access across. So these mostly we can say on a preoccupied building, it's more about the you can say, not a very physically strong firefighting system. Okay. But more on the evacuation aspects around it and begin their HSC being the safety aspect will be taken care during preoccupation.
Saurav C
Okay. So one thing that actually rung music in my ear is hot work, what you told me. Why? Because I represent BlazeMaster. So, you know, BlazeMaster, one of the products which eliminates hot work in welding because you don't need to weld BazeMaster pipes. So do you think such kind of, you know, modern product will be of help in preoccupation of the building in making the construction activity more safer? If I can reduce or eliminate the hot work. So instead of welding, if I have a product, you know, which can be joined without hot work. Is it something good for these tall buildings? Is it something good for the industry?
Sooraj Nair
Preferably, if it complies to all the codes, That's very important. All the codes have to be working.. If the codes have been is mandated code and the required sections have been matched by any kind of piping material, then definitely it should be explored.
Saurav C
You have worked in number of tall buildings as you were just introduced in the first question that I asked you. Can you share your experience? Have you worked with any different kind of products which you have used in the projects that you have done? Maybe you can give 1 or 2 examples.
Priti
Yes. So generally, we recommend crude fittings to just speed up the work of tall buildings, which will reduce also welding part and just it will push to speed activities for tall buildings. As a consultant at KPM, we also recommend for A class buildings, for many projects. We recommend crude fittings. We also used that in Trump tower and many projects of, like, in Mumbai also and in Middle East also we recommend. Then to just speed of work, I will record this presentation made my explanation very easy because just to we have very common practice of using GI. But instead of that, if we go for CPVC pipes, then many advantages are there like corrosion is not there. Fittings like crude fittings can be used for with solvent joints. Even if we consider hydraulics, then Hazen-Williams C factor for CPVC pipe is 150, and for GI, that is 120. So efficiency of old system increases by around 25 percent. So we can recommend these 2 solutions with respect to firefighting. And other to speed up work at tall buildings. if you consider civil part, then there are many options like Mivan construction is there. Pot toilets are there, which we have used in Panchshil also for Wagholi projects. High towers. Good transportation, vertical transportation is also 1 option. So, these are the recommendations.
Saurav C
Great.In fact, very reassuring to hear that in case there are more tall buildings in India, there are products and they will be much more safer. Than the stupa that I told you about. And I'm sure some of you must have Google by now to check whether that is a true story or not. And I know the answer.It's actually a true story.
Priti
Yeah. I just want a point missed that we used in Panchshil Marriott Suites, we used BlazeMasters material of CPVC.
Saurav C
Okay. Thanks a lot. In fact, BlazeMaster has been approved across many of the jurisdictions and I do hope that we'll be getting more support from such of us congregation like you.
Saurav C
Now, my next question is to you, Mr. Sooraj. If you had the opportunity to give advice to Ravana's or the Mahavaatha's chief engineer who made the Lakshagraha or Ravana's palace, what would be your advice? How could they have done the building in such a way that it was fire safe?
Sooraj Nair
It's a tough question, isn't it? I mean, we have all the eminent, you know, panelists and the best of the best in the industry sitting here. I I think it's a very difficult question isn't, sir, to anybody. I mean use BlazeMaster if you want me to endorse that. Probably then use BlazeMaster, you can call it. But I think just follow the code. Honestly, follow the right set of code get all the experience across. And I heard Dharkar Sir saying that about, you know, doing simulations on a building. Right, sir? Simulations are something which should be practiced on all buildings, which really makes a clarity whether that kind of building when exposed to various aspects of possible fire, what could be out come of that? And considering that and then going to the various course that we have in terms of what fire zone are we looking at, what type of construction are we looking at. If that can be amalgamated into a thought process, And considering the CFDs that we have in the industry now, I think we will definitely will not have any Lanka fires that can happen here.
Saurav C
Definitely. And in fact, you know, what I would also advise is any fire protection system that you do, do it diligently. Do not cut corners. Whether BlazeMaster, whether a sprinkler, whether a spare system, whether extinguishers, please do it diligently because in a fire is something, it's not a child's play. We are actually, I am at the very end of my 15 minutes. I told you so many stories, so maybe, you know, last one for the lady of the panel. Now, some Can you give 2- 3 pro tips? You know, what can be done to make Pune tall buildings fire safe in future?
Priti
Okay. So I will just recommend as we are, since long we are using prescriptive methods like we are using codes, hydraulic calculations. Even as 15105, I recommend hydraulic calculations. We go with that traditionally. But with that, we also should learn to use performance based fire designing with that. So that will be my recommendation.
Saurav C
Great. So you're talking about the balance between hydraulic calculation as well as performance.
Priti
Yeah.Typical systems we are using traditionally and somewhat performance based. The design of the building, very fool proof and safe. That will be all from me.
Saurav C
Thank you so much, Mr. Sooraj. Thank you so much. Priti, ma'am. Thank you. You have been a wonderful guest, Thank you, Pune…