Emergency evacuation of urban underground commercial street based on BIM approach

Abstract

Urbanization has led to increased construction of underground buildings to overcome limited surface space. However, safety concerns in urban underground commercial buildings have become a major issue due to frequent accidents. Ensuring safe evacuation in densely populated underground commercial buildings is crucial. This study focuses on the safe evacuation of an urban underground commercial street A in Fuzhou City. A simulation framework based on Building Information Modelling (BIM) is proposed, integrating the Fire Dynamic Simulator (FDS) and BIM. The framework overcomes limitations in fire dynamic simulators. Using a BIM model, the study analyzes the risk of each fire protection area and selects the most unfavorable area for simulation. PyroSim technology is employed to study the entire fire development process in the underground commercial street under three different fire scenarios. The analysis includes evacuation stair travel time and personnel available safe evacuation time (TASET). By comparing the results, the study optimizes building layout design and identifies factors affecting personnel evacuation efficiency. The simulation outcomes aim to minimize casualties and property losses, contributing to fire safety management in urban underground commercial streets.