The benefits of applying BIM technology to fire risk assessment and control in high-rise public buildings include the following:
1. Visual Representation and Information Integration. For complex and large-scale buildings such as high-rise public structures, fire risk assessment and subsequent risk control require extensive effort. Before conducting evaluations, it is essential to understand the building’s structural form, internal layout, materials, and surrounding environment. Traditionally, this information is gathered from 2D CAD drawings and on-site inspections, which can be complicated, unintuitive, prone to errors, and time-consuming without offering a comprehensive overview.
BIM technology creates a three-dimensional digital model of the entire building, replacing traditional geometric representations of walls, columns, and floors composed of points, lines, and surfaces. This model also includes detailed material information. The BIM platform offers users specialized libraries for buildings, structures, and equipment, as well as the ability to build custom libraries, making it easy to model and retrieve information as needed. As a result, BIM models provide a clear, intuitive view of the overall building and its internal structure, integrating data from numerous components to deliver accurate visualizations. This “what you see is what you get” approach lays a solid foundation for fire risk assessment and control.
2. Simulation and Emergency Response. During fire risk assessment and control, BIM models can be linked with third-party simulation software to conduct fire spread simulations and personnel evacuation drills. This approach leverages the BIM model’s versatility, acting as a “first mock examination” with multiple uses. Simulations based on BIM enhance the dynamic visualization of fire propagation and evacuation processes, while reducing the manpower and resources needed for physical experiments.
Moreover, these simulation results provide crucial data for developing fire emergency plans, optimizing fire prevention measures and evacuation routes, and conducting personnel safety training, thereby strengthening overall fire risk management.
3. Information Transmission and Sharing. A well-developed BIM model stores both geometric and non-geometric data, including physical properties, material characteristics, and fire resistance of building components. This facilitates efficient collection and processing of fire safety information during risk assessments.
Built on the common IFC standard, BIM models enable seamless information exchange between various elements, maintaining a high level of consistency between the model and associated data. For example, geometric changes can be implemented by modifying the model’s data, improving efficiency.
Furthermore, BIM emphasizes the continuous accumulation and sharing of information throughout a building’s lifecycle. Revit, a widely used BIM software in China for 3D modeling, supports multiple data formats and APIs such as DXF, gbXML, and DWG. It aids in building fire simulations and safe evacuation research and allows feedback and storage of analysis results within the BIM platform, enhancing the practical use of simulation data in fire risk control.
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