Numerical studies on evacuation design in a karaoke

Two key questions concerning the effect of increasing the corridor width from 1.05 to 1.2 m, and elimination of ‘deadends’ were raised by the local industry on the fire safety requirements to be implemented in karaoke establishments. To answer these two questions, evacuation pattern in a typical karaoke establishment was studied numerically with the software buildingEXODUS. Six sets of scenarios were designed to study different layouts and occupancy levels. Evacuation times were studied for each scenario by changing the corridor width, exit access configurations such as the number of exits and their locations. Four corridor widths of 0.5, 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0 m were set and three simulations were carried out for each case, giving a total number of 6×4×3 or 72 simulations. The simulations were on the normal emergency evacuation without specifying a fire. It is found that karaokes with wider corridor might not necessarily give shorter evacuation time. The presence of deadends might not affect the evacuation pattern, depending on their distances. However, to ensure safety, good fire safety management must be implemented. The possibility of burning the partition walls is another key item to consider.