Karachi may be building more high rises, but are they safe?

[Naveed Yaseen]

KARACHI: Eleven of the 32 high-rise buildings to be constructed in Pakistan have been approved by the government. One of them, the Port Tower in Karachi is planned to be 160 stories high. But, now architects are asking, can the Karachi Building Control Authority (KBCA) ensure the proper safety measures for such mammoth ventures?

There is a prime example in the not so recent past. “After the collapse of the WTC twin towers, architects around the world started thinking about adopting the maximum number of safety measurements for future buildings,” said architect Arshad Abdullah, adding that as Karachi was getting new high rises, it was time to think along the same lines.

Abdullah was one of the architectural and engineering experts who spoke at a seminar ‘Architectural and engineering lessons from WTC twin towers collapse’ organized by Memon Professional Forum, Institute of Engineers Pakistan and Association of Consulting Engineers Pakistan Saturday.

Abdullah said that with the construction of skyscrapers on the rise in Karachi, special attention should be paid to the installation of emergency exits and certain structural features that can help prevent fires from spreading. Atriums, for example, always help spread fires between floors. He gave the example of a recent fire at the PNSC building that started at the 4th floor and went to the 10th.

In Karachi, most of the buildings have fire escapes that open inside rather than outside. Also, ramps are mostly located in the basements, a safety weakness. “Tenants must be aware of basic safety measurements and must review maps of the building before shifting in it,” he added. Recently, a German firm acquired an office in one of the multi-storey buildings of Karachi. Before moving in, the firm sent the plans to Germany for revision. Experts restricted the firm from moving in because the building did not comply with standard safety measurements.

Engr. Arif Kasam Mysorewala explained that the buildings that recently caught fire in Karachi, including Iqbal center and PNS buildings, are still standing because of the resistance of concrete and structural design. “So we must not compromise on structure and it is dangerous to save money on design,” he said.

Consultant Syed Sibte Ahmed Jafri cautioned that the selection of electricity cables was more important in safety measurements. “If a building catches fire once, the cables must be completely replaced,” he said, “as any part of the cable which caught fire once has maximum chances of catching fire again,” he said, adding that the toxins from smoke can also affect them.

Engineer Yousuf Hassan pointed out that emergency sprinklers were only installed in a handful of multinational-owned buildings even though they were a basic fire-controlling device.

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp...008_pg12_1