ABSTRACT
Events such as the World Trade Center collapse in New York in 2001 highlighted safety concerns unique to tall buildings. To better protect occupants, engineers, so used to being concerned about how these buildings stand up, now also had to understand much more about how and when they might fall down. Using specialist computer software, historic data and practical engineering rationales, Arup works at the forefront of structural fire engineering to understand how tall buildings behave in extreme situations, producing designs that exceed the requirements of current guidance. This degree of scrutiny goes hand in hand with examining the practical aspects of moving tens of thousands of people safely to street level in an emergency. By looking at a range of solutions and the mobility needs of a more diverse population, Arup is designing buildings where lifts can complement the use of stairs to offer a fast and reliable method of evacuation.
