Life Safety as a Design Driver: Designing an Embassy for the 21st Century.

Abstract

Life safety has been and will always be a design driver in all forms of architecture. This thesis looks at evolving life safety design concerns, their impact on architecture, and how to better anticipate future safety concerns. It focusses on events in the 20th Century which have developed as the result of a cyclical process which starts with the knowledge or presence of harms that bring concern for improved safety. The concern for life safety issues stems from a tragic event, the development of new technologies, and societal changes. Adhering to current life safety codes as well as applying a preferred futures design approach allows for innovative designs and ideas to be considered to improve life safety standards. Life safety drivers in the built environment considered in this thesis include access to the site and structure, building materials, occupational health, support technologies, and governance. Focusing on these drivers can allow the building design to be more responsive towards current threats as well as new threats that may arise in the future. One of the newest, most impactful life safety design challenges of the 21st Century is blast mitigation. The importance of blast mitigation in design is especially evident in public architecture and government facilities, including embassies. The preferred future design approach described in this thesis provides a tool for the designers to use to better anticipate possible changes in life safety in design.