LA-80-04-4 -- The Atrium as a Fresh Air Channel--A Different Concept in Smoke Control PDF

The architectural employment of atriums in new construction of large buildings, of various forms of occupancy, is being encountered on an increasing basis. The control of the movement of smoke from an arbitrarily located fire in a manner to effectively protect occupants during evacuation with a minimal cost impact is a challenging problem. Systems employed to date have not always proved successful and often required substantial supplementary mechanical equipments and controls above normal HVAC equipments and controls. Further, systems currently employed have very objectionable smoke movement characteristics. The approach presented in this paper attempts to eliminate the objectionable smoke movement characteristics, thus improving occupant safety, and maximize the use of a building's HVAC system, thus minimizing cost impact.