Incendio dell'Hotel Windsor a Madrid

1. WINDSOR HOTEL MADRID
Franco Bontempi
Ordinario di Tecnica delle Costruzioni
Facolta’ di Ingegneria Civile e Industriale
Sapienza Universita’ di Roma
franco.bontempi@uniroma1.it

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8. THE STRUCTURE
Context
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10. Built during 70’s
Offices and commercial use
106 metres high
32 storeys above ground
level
5 storeys underground
Outline of the structure
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11. Outline of the structure
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15. Spanish Fire Regulations
Main fire Protection
System
At time of Construction
(1970s Spanish Codes
At time of Fire
(Refurbishment in Process)
Fire compartmentation no Under construction
Fire stopping between
cladding & structure
no Under construction
Fire protection to
steelwork
no
17th floor & above: Not yet
commencement
(18th floor partly completed)
4th - 15th floor: Completed
(except 9 & 15th floors)
Fire protection to
concrete members
no no
Sprinkler system no Under construction
Fire alarm system yes yes
Dry riser system yes yes
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16. Updating works
Works carried out to update the building going
further than regulations in force:
• National regulations (1996)
• Regional regulations from Region of Madrid
(2003).
They consists in:
• Construction of an exterior staircase
• Renovation of electrical wiring
• Protection of metallic structure with fire
resisting material
• Sealing of concealed spaces
• Fire barriers in curtain-walls
• Renovation of smoke detectors
• Installation of new sprinkler system
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17. FIRE INCIDENT
Event
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18. 1st section:
floors 3 to 16
1st technical floor
reception
5
basements
2nd technical floor
2nd section:
floors 17 to roof
empty floors
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27. SISTEMA STRUTTURALE SCENARIO D’INCENDIO
1
2
COMPARTIMENTO
STRUTTURALE
SUPERIORE
COMPARTIMENTO
STRUTURALE
INFERIORE
3 3
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30. Outline of the fire
12 February
23:05 smoke alarm on 21st floor
23:05-23:21 Security staff goes to check alarm
and attempts to tackle fire
23:21 Call to fire brigade
23:25 Firemen arrive
23:25-00:00 Quick spreading of flames
00:00 Firemen leave the building
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31. Outline of the fire
13 February
01.00 four storeys were on fire
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32. Outline of the fire
02.00 flames almost all over the building
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33. 33
Outline of the fire
03.30 first collapse 04.00 fire revives
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34. 34
Outline of the fire
Metallic structure strongly
damaged.
Collapse of upper floors
supported by steel columns.
Unforeseenly fire spread
downwards very quickly.
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35. Outline of the fire
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36. Outline of the fire
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37. Outline of the fire
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38. Outline of the fire
07.00 firemen in adjacent buildings
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39. Outline of the fire
14.00 fire is still active
17.00 automatic
hoses cooling the
building and its
surroundings are
closed
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40. The aftermath
Lower section
Bays adjacent to facades in bad
conditions
Next bays parallel to north facade
also badly damaged
Other areas: concrete columns
diversely damaged
Central core slightly damaged
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41. The aftermath
Upper section
Bays adjacent to facades almost
compleatly collapsed
Next bays parallel to north facade
also collapsed
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42. STRUCTURAL BEHAVIOR
Comments
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43. 01:00: some floors above
21st floor in fire
The fire in progress
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44. 02:00: all floors above 21st
floor in fire
The fire in progress
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45. 02:00: chunks of façade fall off
The fire in progress
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46. 02:15: steel columns deform
like spaghetti
The fire in progress
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48. 05:30: fire spread below 16th
floor, crossing over the
upper technical floor
The fire in progress
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50. 08:30: fire spread beneath
4th floor
The fire in progress
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51. 13:30: fire under control
The fire in progress
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53. After the fire
The fire in progress
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54. Primary contributor: detection
• Long response time of detectors to
give alarm
• Closed doors in the room where fire
started
• Lack of effective fire fighting
measures for first intervention
(automatic sprinklers, training of
security guards, …)
Secondary contributor:
Internal intervention
• Lack of water pressure for fire
brigade intervention
The fire initiation
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55. Primary Contributor
• Gap between curtain wall and floor
slab never fire stopped
• Smoke & flame pass through
breach of compartment:
➢ no fire doors
➢ no penetration seals
➢ no shaft protection
• Burning droplets allowed to pass
down. Fire started on floor 21, but
spread as far down as floor 2 !!!
Secondary contributor
• Glazed façade had no fire rating
• Windows failed at early stag
The fire spread & path
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56. Curtain wall → Vertical parapets
Mechanism of fire barrier parapet between the floors
Height in Windsor Tower: 1.5 m
The fire spread & path
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57. Curtain wall → Horizontal fire
barrier
➢ Chimney effect for fire spread upwards
➢ Falling pieces for fire spread downwards
The fire spread & path
57
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58. Perimeter steel
column
protection
Unprotected columns:
Buckled steel
Protected columns:
Remained in place
The performance of fire protection
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59. Curtain wall
parapet
Properly fixed:
Remained in place
Not properly fixed:
disappeared
The performance of fire protection
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71. Technical shafts
Remained in place where installed
The performance of fire protection
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75. The progressive collapse
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77. Collasso progressivo
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78. Collasso progressivo (1)
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79. Collasso progressivo (2)
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80. Collasso progressivo (3)
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81. Collasso progressivo (4)
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82. Collasso progressivo (5)
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87. compartimentzione
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88. Windsor
Outline of the fire
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89. Windsor
Outline of the fire
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90. Windsor
Outline of the fire
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91. Windsor
Outline of the fire
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96. SIMULATION & INVESTIGATION
Understand
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98. COSE – STRUTTURE - SISTEMI
THINGS – STRUCTURES - SYSTEMS
PERSONE – COMPORTAMENTI
PEOPLE – HUMAN BEHAVIOR
COSA
WHAT
CHI
WHO
ROTTURA – COLLASSO - CRISI
FAILURE – COLLPASE - CRISIS
PERCHE’
WHY
SPIEGAZIONE – CAUSE
REASON - DISCLOSURE
CONOSCENZA
KONWLEDGE
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99. spiegazióne s. f.
[der. di spiegare; cfr. lat. explicationis]
1. L’atto, il fatto e il modo di rendere chiaro ciò che è
oscuro e difficile da comprendere: chiedere la s. di ciò
che non si è riusciti a capire; se non ti è ancora tutto
chiaro, ti darò un’ulteriore s.; la s. di un indovinello, di
una sciarada; un enigma di difficile spiegazione.
2. Ciò che serve a spiegare un fatto, cioè a giustificarlo, a
capirne le ragioni: non so darmi una s. del suo
comportamento; non riesco a trovare una s. alla sua
violenta reazione; la s. da lui fornita non ha convinto
nessuno; la s. di quanto è accaduto non può essere che
questa; per fatti come questi non c’è una s. plausibile.
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100. Forensic Engineering: definitions
• Forensic Engineering is the application of
engineering methods in determination and
interpretation of causes of damage to, or failure
of, equipment, machines, or structures.
• Forensic Engineering is the application of the
art and science of engineering in matters which
are in, or may possibly relate to, the
jurisprudence system, inclusive of alternative
dispute resolution.
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101. Sensibility
to
initial
conditions:
FORWARD
ANALYSIS
INITIAL
CONDITIONS
FOR #1 - #2
FINAL
STATE
FOR #1
FINAL
STATE
FOR #2
evolutive analysis
decomposability
course predictability
101
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102. Sensibility
to
initial
conditions:
BACKWARD
ANALYSIS
FINAL
CONDITIONS
FOR #1 - #2
INITIAL
STATE
FOR #1
INITIAL
STATE
FOR #2
investigative
analysis
decomposability
course predictability
102
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107. WINDSOR HOTEL MADRID
Prof. Ing. Franco Bontempi
Facolta’ di Ingegneria Civile e Industriale
Universita’ degli Studi di Roma “La Sapienza”