Design and Construction of Building Exits.
Design and Construction of Building Exits.
(5365 K)
National Bureau of Standards
NBS M151; 81 p. October 10, 1935.
Keywords:
exits; building design
Abstract:
The deplorable loss of life that occurs annually in
building fires can be reduced by providing suitable
exits. Building-code requirements vary widely as to how
many exits are needed, what sizes they should be, and
how the details concerning them should be worked out.
To aid those interested in the problem, surveys of
current practice in providing exits and of the rates at
which people can effect their escape through different
kinds of exits have been made. The methods employed in
the surveys and the results are presented here in
detail. To supplement the information thus obtained,
opinions have been solicited from numberous architects,
building officials, fire-protection experts, and others.
Five methods of calculating exit width in current use
are discussed. As a useful reference when local
requirements are under consideration, suggested
requirements are presented, together with notes on the
reasoning employed in connection with them.
Building and Fire Research Laboratory
National Institute of Standards and Technology
Gaithersburg, MD 20899