The heart of the matter: Late action will make us sorry

This week we run the second part of the findings on the deplorable state of the core in the fast growing high-rise commercial buildings in Dhaka City. Indeed in any high-rise building the most important part is the area of vertical circulation, referred to as the core. Occasionally the core also accommodates toilets and fire fighting equipment.

As mentioned in Part 1, as per the Building Construction Rules 1996, popular as 'RAJUK rules', structures seven-stories and above are high-rise as elevator/ lift has been made obligatory from that level. Since the Rules also have special clauses for buildings 10-storied and higher, the students of Final Year Architecture, BUET in conducting the survey considered only those as high-rise.

Although the survey focussed only on commercial buildings, the requirements of a good core design are also true for apartment buildings, hotels, etc. In view of the alarming state discovered in commercial buildings, it is most likely that grievous faults lie hidden behind the posh facades of most apartment and other buildings that are boasting the status of high-rise. The cry for 'safety first' is stifled by the burden of commercial greed, ornamentation and valour in violation.

The second set of examples that we present today, as were those of the first edition, is representative of the alarming situation and in no way are the only ones that are beset with an "ineffectual, ineffective and inadequate" core (see Part 1). The disease is widespread in all types of buildings and must be arrested now.

Through this exercise it is expected

(a) that the findings of the students shall be an eye-opener,

(b) that existing buildings shall arrange immediately for an effective alternative route of escape from an emergency situation to save lives,

(c) that in future Architects and Owners shall be committed to incorporating in the design a safe Means of Escape, and

(d) that Users shall maintain an effective way out in an urgent situation as designed by the Architect.

In order to make our buildings safer, no Architect or Owner in future should conceive of a building, particularly large and high-rise, without proper, adequate and effective Means of Escape and in the least that means alternate routes and of course more than one staircase.

Lives will be lost if buildings with badly designed core are not corrected. It is possible in most cases to remedy the serious flaw and violation by sacrificing some space on each floor to channel at least a second staircase, if not more, at a suitable location. Buildings with two adjacent staircases will perhaps lose no additional space as they can recover some space by blocking off one of the two.

It is perhaps not late even now to fix things. If there indeed is a fire, surely we shall be late and sorry. In a commercial building the unassuming public and the employees do not deserve these man-made death traps.

Dr. Nizamuddin Ahmed is Professor, Dept of Architecture (BUET)