Tips on making buildings safer in times of danger

The attack on Garissa University on April 2, Thursday, followed by the  stampede at the University of Nairobi’s Kikuyu Campus days later, have brought the issue of the design of buildings to the fore once again.

In both incidents, students were killed or injured due to inadequate escape routes in the face of real and perceived danger.

The two incidents have got architect Mr Martin Tairo, thinking. “ I have asked myself whether I would have designed those the dorms at the Kikuyu Campus or  in Garissa differently if I had had the chance, so that the outcome would have been different,” he says.

“But I realise the complex nature of terrorists; they might have surveyed the university and knew exactly what to do to achieve what they wanted,” he adds.

Meanwhile, Mr Wilson Goko, who has worked a building inspector in the UK, says the stampede at the Kikuyu  Campus clearly shows Kenyans’ total lack of  safety and security awareness.

Mr Goko, who runs Trident Risk Management Consultants Ltd, said if a  house is designed to at least buy you time to escape when in danger, all you need to do is invest in drills.

“If those students at the  Kikuyu Campus had been taught from childhood how to behave in an emergency, they would not have hurt themselves,” he added.

The two experts offered tips on making buildings safer for the occupants in  emergencies.

With terrorist attacks become more frequent, there have been discussions among construction professionals on how to design buildings that can withstand the impact of IEDs (improvised explosive devices).

ESCAPE ROUTES

Kenya is at high risk of attack, given that the Global Terror Index  of 2014 ranks it 12th out of 162 countries globally.

In 2013, the outgoing commissioner of the New York Police Department, Mr Raymond Kelly, warned that terrorism was not only increasingly taking on a religious hue, but also aiming for soft targets.

He added that terrorists look for buildings with  few or no escape routes, making it difficult for security officers to flush them out, while also enabling them to inflict great damage. Indeed, the  Garissa University College, with its single entry/exit gate, is a case in point.

In 2008, the UK government urged architects to incorporate panic rooms, truck-bomb barriers and limited glazing in new buildings. It suggested that windows  be no larger than three metres, and that   masonry cladding be avoided on  buildings taller than two storeys. These measures were intended to stop reduce  flying stones and shards of glass in case of an explosion. 

According to a former US military officer, Mr Jonathan Hamacher,  Kenyans don’t seem to be  aware that they could be victims of spontaneous low-level, low-technology assaults which rely on surprise.

Speaking to DN2 after the Westgate attack in 2013, he noted that, while not all communities have emergency plans, the public can help ensure general security by being vigilant. This includes community members knowing each other so that they can easily spot an  outsider.

In addition, they should be on the lookout for anyone gathering intelligence by recording, annotating maps, drawing diagrams or using binoculars.

In addition, the use of metal detectors, bag searches, video cameras and, where  possible, motion sensors, cannot be overemphasized, especially in institutions of higher learning.

INCASE OF FIRE

Mr Tairo  said  disaster management should be incorporated into a building,  right from the design stage and suggested possibilities such as the use of fire-rated doors, which can resist heat for up to 90 minutes before caving in.

He also said  gas cylinders should  be placed outside the houseto minimise the damage in case of an explosion. 

Besides, he said, one could place a  fire  blanket in the kitchen for snuffing out fires, should one start.

 Mr Goko too, said that safety consultants should be involved right from the design stage of a building,  especially if  it is for commercial use.

“It is important to look at the who will occupy the building and the activities that will take place inside it before deciding on the technology to be used. For instance, is it a hospital, where patients cannot move? Will the occupants be young high school children prone panic attacks? Will there be flammable substances in the building?… all these questions should be considered.

Mr Goko suggested the use of automated systems such as SHEV (smoke heat exhaust ventilation), which detects the products of combustion such as smoke and other gases. When the system is activated, openings in the building’s roof and walls suck up all the smoke, which is then then transported through pipes  and released outside.

Mr Goko said although the system is costly, it would greatly limit the casualties as well as other  losses that commercial building incur in fire. 

Although many homes have burglar proofed doors and windows, Mr Adam Miller, a British national who has worked with security firm G4s in East African for a long time says this is not enough.

He introduced a technology called  a fog system 10 months ago. The system works like an alarm, releasing fog and reducing visibility to no more than a metre when it senses an intruder. The fog buys the home owner time to ask for help .

The system  costs Sh140,000 to Sh 250,000  and is installed into a house after construction.