Datta, S D; Akter, J; Rhyme, A N; Mamun, M A; Rana, M J and Abdullah, M S (2025) Assessing and mitigating building fire risk based on the scenario clusters in Bangladesh. International Journal of Construction Management, 25(12), pp. 1381-1394. ISSN 1562-3599
Abstract
The increasing occurrence of fire hazards in residential buildings in Bangladesh has led to severe property damage, physical injuries, and fatalities, underscoring a critical research gap in effective fire risk management. This study aims to address this gap by identifying key fire risks and proposing mitigation strategies using BIM technology. The research employs a comprehensive survey and scenario clustering methodology to identify these risks and assess the efficacy of various fire-resistant materials. Data collection involved questionnaires distributed to 200 respondents, including building owners, occupants, engineers, and firefighters. These clusters are based on the metrics of fatality numbers and property damage to quantify fire risk. Findings highlight the significant role of wall and ceiling lining materials (RII = 0.919) in contributing to fire risk. Further analysis was conducted using a residential building model developed in Autodesk Revit and simulated in Pyrosim software, assessing various lining materials. Quantitative results demonstrated that fire brick is the most effective material, exhibiting the lowest heat release rate (968 kW/m2), minimum adiabatic surface temperature (28°C), minimum heat transfer coefficient (1.75 W/m2/K), and lowest surface burning rate (7.5e−08 Kg/m2/s). These results suggest that fire brick is the optimal choice for enhancing fire resistance in residential buildings.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | accident; building information modeling; fire risk analysis; pyrosim; scenario clusters; severity index |
| Index terms: | building information modelling, residential building, surface temperature, owner, engineer, fire resistance, Bangladesh, risk management, clustering, severity index, fatalities, injury, survey, strategy, mitigation, questionnaire, methodology, risk analysis |
| Subjects: | construction type, environmental hazards, research methods, financial risk, Geography, data science, data collection methods, profession, risk assessment, health conditions and diseases, sociology, information systems, thermal systems, management, health risk and incident analysis, material properties and characteristics |
| Topics: | Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Construction Technology, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Construction Materials, Research Practice, Digital Applications, Risk Management, Sustainability, Health and Safety, Engineering Principles, Geographical Context |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
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