TWIN TOWERS INVESTIGATION YIELDS BUILDING SAFETY GUIDELINES

Jul 1, 2005 12:00 PM

The U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has called for specific changes to building and fire safety codes for tall buildings following its investigation into the fires and eventual collapse of New York's World Trade Center twin towers on Sept. 11, 2001.

“We were charged by law with developing meaningful recommendations for improvements in the safety of buildings, their occupants and first responders,” says acting NIST Director Hratch Semerjian. “We already have begun working with the organizations that will be responsible for turning the recommendations into action, and we will hold a major conference in September to focus on what needs to be done to encourage rapid and thorough implementation.”

Based on the findings of the most detailed examination of a building failure ever conducted, NIST is making 30 recommendations. “We believe these recommendations are both realistic and achievable within a reasonable period of time, and should greatly improve the way people design, construct, maintain and use buildings, especially high-rises,” WTC lead investigator Shyam Sunder says.

The recommendations stretch 10,000 pages and cover:

• specific improvements to building standards, codes and practices;

• changes to, or the establishment of, evacuation and emergency response procedures; and

• research and other appropriate actions needed to help prevent future building failures.

The recommendations (available at wtc.nist.gov) are divided into eight groups: increased structural integrity; enhanced fire resistance; new methods for fire resistance design; active fire protection (i.e., sprinklers, standpipes/hoses, fire alarms, etc.); improved building evacuation; improved emergency response; improved procedures and practices; and improved education and training.

NIST's job is not done. “We will finalize our reports on the towers and on our recommendations after receiving public comments,” Semerjian says.

That includes a report on WTC 7, another building that collapsed on Sept. 11.

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