Ewa Karczewska, Coordinator of the Design Department in the Natural smoke exhausting Division, talks about how to design the gravity smoke removal installation not to face problems, both during post-construction commissioning and a potential fire, as well as tips on where to get the needed knowledge.

Designers who design a gravity smoke removal installation do not have an easy task. On the one hand, there are norms and standards, but on the other, the correct approach to this issue requires considerable practical knowledge and experience. The MERCOR design department dedicated to gravity smoke removal provides help, advice and support.

How to navigate legal regulations regarding the design of fire protection in buildings in general, as well as guidelines for gravity smoke removal from buildings? Where to find information about technical standards?

Ewa Karczewska, Coordinator of the Design Department in the Natural smoke
exhausting Division in MERCOR S.A.: In the field of fire protection, as designers, we have many documents and studies at our disposal. The first basic source of information are the so-called technical conditions, law statements and industry standards. Most of the information in this area is contained in guidelines or specialized industry guides. Unfortunately, in order to properly design a gravity smoke removal installation, apart from the standards themselves, you often need practical knowledge that is not available at your fingertips. Then you need to look for dedicated guides.

For example, the "Guide to good practices in designing gravity smoke removal systems for buildings", published this year, of which you are a co-author?

Ewa Karczewska: Exactly. The publication was created to provide condensed practical knowledge on the difficult issue of gravity smoke removal from buildings.

I highly recommend the "Guide to good practices in designing gravity smoke removal systems for buildings", which contains many practical tips. It is also worth remembering about training in the field of design and product selection, during which you can expand your knowledge based on the experience of people dealing with the fire protection industry on a daily basis. It is also an excellent opportunity to learn about new products and technologies.

Moreover, when looking for precise standards, the basic document containing provisions and legal regulations regarding fire protection is the Act of August 24, 1991 on fire protection. The second most important document is the Construction Law. Requirements for buildings are also included in Annex I to the Regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council (EU) No. 305/2011 of March 9, 2011 and the Regulation of the Minister of Infrastructure of April 12, 2022 on the technical conditions to be met by buildings and their location (Journal of Laws Laws of 2002, No. 17, item 690, as amended).

What should a properly designed building smoke exhaust system design include?

Ewa Karczewska: The very concept of project implementation is a very broad issue. The most important things include: clear drawings with the location of devices, installation diagrams, a detailed description of the smoke removal system containing technical information, standards and design norms on which the calculations are based, and, of course, the calculations themselves, which are intended to demonstrate the correctness of the selected solution. Please remember that each project should be agreed by a fire expert.

The technical design should provide the technical standard on the basis of which the smoke removal parameters will be determined. For example, here are some of them:

- PN-B-02877-4:2021 Fire protection of buildings. Gravity installations for smoke and heat removal. Design principles.

- PN-B-02877-4:2001/Az1:2006 Fire protection of buildings. Gravity installations for smoke and heat removal. Design Principles (Amendment).

- NFPA 204. Standard for Smoke and Heat Venting. Smoke and heat removal systems.

- DIN 18232-2 Maintaining smoke-free areas - Part 2: Smoke extraction devices (smoke dampers), dimensions, requirements and installation. 2002 edition (2009 supplement).

- VDI 3564 Empfehlungen fur Brandschutzin Hochregalanlagen Recommendations for fire protection in high-bay warehouses. 2002 edition (Recommendations for protection against smoke in high-bay warehouses).

Should the smoke removal installation design include a calculation package? Where to get the data to perform them?

Ewa Karczewska: Each smoke removal project should include calculations, which are the basic source of proper selection of devices. Calculation methods are included in design norms and standards, and the data for their implementation is obtained at the initial stage from the investor or general contractor. Please remember that in order to properly design a smoke removal system, appropriate arrangements must be made with the contractors to avoid problems with the implementation of the designed system in the future.

Please share your perspective on what designers have the most problems with when designing a smoke removal system? At what design stage and how can design errors in the smoke exhaust system be noticed? The post-construction commissioning stage is usually too late.

Ewa Karczewska: The biggest problem is usually adapting the smoke removal system to any changes occurring during the design and implementation process. We are not always able to adapt to changed requirements in order to maintain consistency with applicable regulations.

The basis for a properly executed smoke removal project are, first of all, appropriately selected design standards. Assuming that the design concept has been prepared correctly, inter-industry coordination is necessary and at this stage any errors can still be corrected.

Unfortunately, numerous errors occur already at the construction design stage and it is the task of the smoke removal system designer to verify them at the implementation stage before the task is carried out. It is also worth relying on the experience of designers with extensive knowledge and practice, which guarantees a properly executed project.

Thank you very much for the interview and I wish you interesting design challenges!

Interview by: Izabela Adamska, Marketing Project Coordinator at MERCOR S.A.

How to design a gravity smoke removal installation?