When fire strikes in any building, the last thing you want is smoke invading the lift wells, lobbies, staircases trapping people, and hindering evacuation efforts. Ensuring the safety and well-being of occupants is paramount, especially in the event of such emergencies.

One crucial aspect of building design that plays a significant role in enhancing safety measures is the requirement of pressuri-sation systems for lift well, lift lobby, and staircase as per the National Building Code (NBC) 2016. Pressurisation is a technique to control airflow and create a positive pressure differential in the designated areas to prevent smoke ingress, facilitate occupant evacuation, and improve overall fire protection measures.

In case of fire breakout in any building, the positive pressure is created through external sources by switching on the fans that are ideally located at roof level of the building. As soon as the fire alarms are triggered, the building management system (BMS) or the main fire panel of the building activates and switches on the fans to generate positive air pressure in the designated areas by introducing fresh air from the outside atmosphere. Separate fans are used for staircase and lift lobby areas. The desired air volume of these fans is calculated by measuring the staircase or lift lobby area and the total numbers of floors in the building.

Some quidelines given in the NBC 2016 for Pressurisation Systems are: