Smoke hazards from fires in high places

Atria became popular in many buildings because they provide attractive, environmentally controlled, and naturally lit spaces. Such spaces present a challenge for fire-protection engineers because of their height and the lack of floor-to-floor compartmentalization that limits the likelihood of fire and smoke spreading from the floor of fire origin to other areas of the building. This paper provides a brief overview of smoke management for atria. In addition, information on recent research to investigate issues that impact on the design of such systems for high atria is also provided.