Common Smoke Control Approaches in High-rise Buildings

Although the rationale for providing redundant automatic systems to manage smoke movement in tall buildings where manual fire suppression activities cannot be easily undertaken is clear, it is less clear why there is so much variation in how such systems are implemented – if they are implemented at all. In connection with the current practice of providing smoke control in tall buildings, two fundamental questions have arisen: First, are the methods of smoke control being implemented appropriate to the hazards and use conditions associated with modern high-rise structures? Second, should greater consideration be given to the maintenance of tenable environments within the smoke zone of origin in consideration of the potentially large number of occupants that may be impacted?

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