San Francisco is poised to drop a requirement that skyscrapers have refill stations so firefighters can recharge their air tanks during a blaze. The city has required that new high-rises have the air refill systems for about ten years.
The rule was instituted after Los Angeles firefighters spent more than two hours lugging 600 air cylinders up 10 flights of stairs in a 1988 high-rise fire, and three Philadelphia firefighters died from smoke inhalation after running out of air in a 1991 blaze in a 38-story building.
But the air tank refilling systems, now in 20 San Francisco buildings, have never been used during a fire, and some firefighters don’t have confidence in them.
(http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Fire-standard-for-S-F-high-rises-ignites-debate-4797543.php)
Related Stories
| Aug 12, 2014
Shading prototype could allow new levels of environmental control for skyscraper occupants
Developed by architects at NBBJ, Sunbreak uses a unique three-hinged shade that morphs from an opaque shutter to an abstract set of vertical blinds to an awning, depending on what is needed.
| Aug 6, 2014
Vegetated residential tower breaks ground in Taiwan
With vegetated balconies reaching the full height of the 100-meter tower, the One More residential development aims to establish a relationship between its residents and nature.
| Aug 5, 2014
New bomb-proof concrete mixture used in One World Trade Center
The new concrete mix deforms instead of breaking, removing the threat of flying debris in an explosive attack.
| Jul 30, 2014
Wolf Point high-rise development begins construction in Chicago
Designed by Pelli Clarke Pelli Architects, the 48-story luxury residential tower is part of a three-tower mixed-use development along the Chicago River.
| Jul 24, 2014
High-rise 'slum' in Venezuela to be shuttered
Authorities have decided to move 4,400 squatters out of Venezuela's third-tallest skyscraper, allegedly to investigate the structural soundness of the tower.
| Jul 17, 2014
A harmful trade-off many U.S. green buildings make
The Urban Green Council addresses a concern that many "green" buildings in the U.S. have: poor insulation.
| Jul 17, 2014
A high-rise with outdoor, vertical community space? It's possible! [slideshow]
Danish design firm C.F. Møller has developed a novel way to increase community space without compromising privacy or indoor space.
| Jul 11, 2014
First look: Jeanne Gang reinterprets San Francisco Bay windows in new skyscraper scheme
Chicago architect Jeanne Gang has designed a 40-story residential building in San Francisco that is inspired by the city's omnipresent bay windows.
| Jul 10, 2014
BioSkin 'vertical sprinkler' named top technical innovation in high-rise design
BioSkin, a system of water-filled ceramic pipes that cools the exterior surface of buildings and their surrounding micro-climates, has won the 2014 Tall Building Innovation Award from the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat.
| Jul 1, 2014
China's wild circular skyscraper opens in Guangzhou [slideshow]
The 33-story Guanghzou Circle takes the shape of a giant ribbon spool, with the floor space housed in a series of boxes suspended between two massive "wheels."
