Improving terminal fire safety with minor impact on operational continuity using performance-based design

Michele Di Franco, Diego Cecchinato and Daniele Andriotto
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Michele Di Franco: Aeroporto di Bologna ‘G.Marconi’ S.p.A., Via Triumvirato, Italy
Diego Cecchinato: Safety Fire, Italy
Daniele Andriotto: Safety Fire, Italy

Journal of Airport Management, 2023, vol. 18, issue 1, 32-59

Abstract: Bologna Airport is dealing with a significant increase in passenger flows. Even after the COVID-19 pandemic, traffic volume is rapidly growing and will soon exceed previous traffic records. Against this background, the airport has supported new infrastructure investments in order to both optimise existing terminal functional use and to comply with stringent fire safety requirements on terminal buildings, in line with new Italian airport safety legislation. In particular, Bologna Airport has planned a short-term investment specifically regarding the Terminal Smoke Management System, consisting of smoke vents and smoke extraction fans that work in coordination with fire detection systems and other fire suppression systems already installed into the building, and with the Terminal Fire Emergency Plan. For this kind of system, the Italian laws and standards set a basic prescriptive approach that simplifies the design phase with conservative solutions, with invasive, costly and time-consuming installations that are generally not compatible with operational continuity needs for terminal areas. As an alternative, a performance-based design approach is allowed for more customised solutions, focusing more closely on the design phase and terminal functional strategy. This case study shows how Bologna Airport implemented a performance-based design approach in order to minimise the impact of the new system installation throughout the terminal, optimising the engineering solutions with no constraints from the terminal functional flexibility point of view as well as saving over 75 per cent costs and construction time, compared to a traditional prescriptive approach.

Keywords: safety; flexibility; performance-based fire strategy; fire safety engineering; operational continuity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: M1 M10 R4 R40 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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