Rapid development is shaping the structural landscape of Dubai. But as the construction gets ever higher, so does the level of risk
Dubai has embarked on a radical transformation of its landscape and infrastructure to cope with the influx of visitors and businesses looking to take advantage of the favourable and lucrative economic, social and commercial conditions in the region. Today, if you look at Dubai from the air, you will see a huge and ever expanding building site. In fact such is the need for building space that land is being reclaimed from the sea to create the impressive Palm Islands and World Islands complexes, and the desert boundaries are being pushed further and further back.
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Size does really matter when it comes to the construction of today’s buildings. It would appear that the bigger and taller a building can be, the better. Today’s corporate empires, businesses and individuals are seemingly driven by the perceived prestige and symbolic power derived from owning and occupying the tallest building in the city, region, country or indeed the world.
Cranes and new buildings dominate the Dubai skyline and even more interesting to us, is the construction of some of the tallest and most elaborate of buildings imaginable. Indeed, once completed in 2008, the Burj Dubai is set to be the tallest in the world, dominating the skyline at a staggering 800m or 2,625ft. By comparison, Canary Wharf in London stands at a rather paltry 235m (771ft). The high rise has hit Dubai in quite some style.
The increase in the number of high rise buildings being built and the speed with which they are constructed does however raise some obvious concerns about safety and security. None of us will forget the images of the World Trade Center’s twin towers after the terrorist attacks on 11 September 2001, the inability to reach those trapped, the fires that raged and the tragic consequences. The height of a building and its design features can certainly hamper efforts to save lives and minimise damage when an incident does occur. Our message to today’s construction firms is that the impact of natural and man-made catastrophes must be considered and steps taken to ensure that comprehensive preventative measures are implemented to protect the building and any occupants.
Fire—the biggest risk
The majority of buildings are now designed to withstand earthquake and wind damage but fire (whether man made or resulting from a natural catastrophe) still presents a real and present danger to today’s skyscrapers. In fact fire is the most significant and largest area of exposure for the modern high rise building. It is increasingly putting jobs and services at risk, and can even threaten the existence of some businesses. The disruption caused can be devastating unless good fire safety and business continuity plans are in place. Insurers and the fire services play an important role in supporting fire prevention but ultimately it is the responsibility of every business to ensure they take appropriate measures.
The spate of fires in some of Dubai’s newest buildings including the Khalid al-Attar tower and the Fortune tower projects have once again raised the profile of fire and its causes. And the discussions around the causes and how to implement adequate fire prevention methods on construction sites remain at the top of the agenda. The speed with which buildings are constructed in the region is a cause of particular concern. Hectic construction schedules and short completion timelines can arguably result in a large number of jobs being done at once, usually by different contractors and personnel. This frequently leads to a lack of coordination in the build process, different methodologies being used and a ‘make do’ mentality.
Leading on from the first point, fire prevention systems, are frequently not installed during the construction process as the team focuses on getting the actual build job completed.
Many construction sites do not use automatic fire detection systems and this results in time delays in finding and locating fires. Such delays prevent the timely extinguishing of fires.
Sprinkler systems are not activated until the final phases of a build. Fire prevention lifts are not standard. This is of particular relevance to high rise buildings where fire crews need access to upper levels if they are to be able to tackle a fire promptly. The result is that all too frequently fires have to be allowed to burn themselves out, increasingly the scale and extent of the damage. Too little pressure in the risers means that the fire hoses are inadequate.
Economic factors and the need to keep construction and development costs to a minimum combined with the speed of construction, and inconsistency in personnel and standards of workmanship frequently result in increased fire risks
There has been a marked increase in the use of materials with a high fire potential such as insulation materials and anti-corrosive cladding and a lack of fire retardant sealants and fire dampers. Building components are not fire-resistant. Cables are left unsealed.
| ‘Buildings are designed to withstand earthquakes, but fire whether man-made or a natural catastrophe, still presents a danger.’ |
In addition, materials needed for the build are typically left on site which in itself is a considerable fire hazard.
Many high rise buildings comprise large open areas. Fires spread through stairwells, lift shafts and air conditioning systems. The lack of fire compartments allow fires to spread much more easily and more rapidly.
Arson is commonplace, as site security is an issue. Frequent personnel changes and a lack of co-ordination and project management can increase the opportunity for arsonists to gain access to a site. Coordination with local fire services is poor.
Best practice
So, what can organisations do to achieve best practice standards and what should the main considerations be?
•Work closely with developers, contractors and insurers which understand the discrete and combined implications of building in a certain area or region will eliminate some of the inherent risks and ensure that the exposures are minimised before any work commences.
•Undertake a detailed risk assessment to establish the likelihood of ignition and any specific high risk areas. This should include analysis of any temporary buildings or accommodation on a building site.
•Ensure compliance with building regulations — Ideally developers should ensure they work with construction firms that can demonstrate an appreciation of the prevailing building regulations in the country of origin that they are building in and can guarantee compliance with the provisions and requirements demanded. These regulations will determine the critical factors such as the materials to use and the fire safety systems required and will be dependent on such things as building location and proximity to boundaries and building height. But note, there are other issues which need to be dealt with as well. Organisations should be aware that insurers no longer consider compliance with building regulations as being sufficient and in the UK we have the Joint Code of Practice on the Protection from Fire of Construction Sites and Buildings Undergoing Renovation, which allows insurers to suspend or cancel cover if they feel there are compliance breaches with the code.
•Implement the full code or part of the code in the UAE and Middle East, from a best practice stand point.
•Ensure that a comprehensive fire protection and prevention strategy is defined and applied to both design and construction phases used not just for new builds but also for refurbishments and renovation projects.
•Consider fire safety engineering measures and implement the most effective for the building, such as compartmentalisation, fire fighting lifts, automated fire detection systems and sprinklers. It is also crucial to test the alarms and systems in place to ensure they are functioning correctly.
•A fire safety officer on site will ensure that the strategy is communicated clearly to all those on the site and that the plan is implemented accurately and standards maintained
•Training. Record all training given to all personnel working on a site and in the building once occupied. Ensure this training is maintained and recorded
•Ensure that in the event of a fire, evacuation and extinguishing the fire are handled promptly and by professionals.
•Adequate site security to minimise the risk of arson and terrorism.
•A strict regime to govern materials and waste storage and disposal to keep the area clear and free of debris
Mutually beneficial
Designing and implementing fire detection, prevention and protection protocols will be of benefit to developers, contractors and insurers alike. The final specification of the building will be of the highest possible standards.
Best practice encourages the confidence of investors and stakeholders and favourable terms and premiums from insurers as risk exposure is improved and loss records are favourable.
Improved safety for those working on site; improved working environment and reduction in the potential for claims. Projects are more likely to come in on budget and on time if fires can be avoided.
Ian Titman is construction consultant with independent insurance broker Heath Lambert Group
