Study of fire safety measures for an existing sports facility in accordance with current building regulations

Abstract

This study has assessed the fire safety measures of a sports facility constructed in phases over three decades, with the first phase built in 1984 and the last in 2002. The primary objective is to ensure the protection of users of the facility and to minimize the risk associated with a potential fire. To achieve this, it has been analyzed whether the facility complies with the fire safety regulations applicable in Barcelona, namely: “El Real Decreto 314/2006 (1), de 17 de marzo, por el que se aprueba el Código Técnico de la Edificación (CTE)” and the " l’Ordenança(2) Reguladora de Condicions de Protecció (ORCPI/08)". To carry out this study, all available information on the building has been gathered, both from the Contemporary Archive of Barcelona City Council (3) and the archive of the Barcelona Sports Institute, in addition to the information provided by the sports center manager. The documents and plans have been reviewed to identify the construction systems, materials used, and installations implemented, as well as the regulations applied at each stage of construction. Subsequently, various inspections have been carried out on the facility to verify whether the actual construction coincided with what was described in the projects. A comprehensive assessment of compliance with fire safety regulations was conducted, identifying several areas of non-compliance. One of the most significant deficiencies is the lack of fire compartmentation between the sports hall and the corridor leading to the fitness studios, specifically at two points: the connecting door and a window located on the same wall. As a corrective measure, it is proposed to replace the door and window with ones that offer superior thermal insulation and fire resistance. According to the price database of the Catalan Institute for Construction Technology (ITEC)(4), the approximate cost of this intervention would be €22,230. 57 including VAT. Another significant non-compliance it has been identified is that the existing fire protection installations do not cover the entire area of the center. When measuring the distances that the fire hydrants, extinguishers, and call points should cover according to the plans, it has been found that approximately 8 fire hydrants, 20 extinguishers, and 7 call points are missing. Additionally, all detectors have expired and need to be replaced. This corrective measure would have an approximate cost in the market, according to the ITEC price database, of € 47,489.17 including VAT. In conclusion, despite being constructed in different phases, the sports facility exhibits an acceptable level of fire safety in terms of passive protection. This includes compartmentation, fire resistance and stability of the structure, as well as the adequate number and arrangement of exits and evacuation routes. However, the active fire protection systems need to be significantly improved. Actions to correct the identified deficiencies in compartmentation and to expand the active fire protection systems will ensure an optimal level of safety for the center’s users and full compliance with current regulations.