Application of building information modelling for fire hazard management in high-rise buildings: an investigation in Sri Lanka

This paper aims to explore the challenges of fire hazard management in high-rise buildings by extending the application of BIM as a collaborative and automated tool covering deficiencies of fire hazard management. To achieve this purpose, a semi-structured interview approach was adopted to collect a rich dataset from ten selected experts in a fire hazard and BIM. The collected data was analysed using content analysis and coding techniques. The study findings reveal that the Sri Lankan construction sector is lagging in utilising BIM for operating fire hazard management and confirms that the current practice relies on human-centric approaches as some other developing countries. The findings show the suitability of BIM for fire hazard management in high-rise buildings in Sri Lanka during fire safety design, building fire regulation checking, firefighter training, designing building layout, location tracking and distance guidance, evacuation path analysis, prior identification of spreading fire and safety equipment maintenance and record-keeping. Furthermore, the major challenges of BIM adoption were identified in the Sri Lankan fire hazard management. The findings of the study could be utilised by stakeholders involved in firehazard management to overcome the current challenges related to fire hazard through the effective use of BIM technology.