June 15, 2018

MUMBAI: Short circuit is one of the main causes of fire in residential buildings and interior work can be a major contributor, says architect Manoj Daisaria. “Developers today provide an emergency staircase, refuge area, lowering device and sprinklers, but five years down the line when buyers or tenants make new alterations, they increase electrical loads and build a fire trap for themselves,” he adds.

When feather and cottonfilled cushions and couches transitioned to foam and microfibre they made upholstered furniture durable, affordable and hypoallergenic as well as highly combustible. Flowers and butterflies on vinyl coated wallpapers mask structural defects, and suspended ceilings hide unpleasant sights like wiring, light holders and ducts. But in case of an electrical spark, the padding would hide faults smouldering inside until it unexpectedly bursts forth into the room. “Add to that 20 gadgets plugged into four electrical sockets. Neither the developer calculates the maximum load that an apartment can take nor does the municipal corporation lay down standards for power supply. A spark or a fire is inevitable,” says architect-activist P K Das.

While one does not know the precise details of what caused the fire in BeauMonde Towers yet, from an engineering perspective, one of the factors in the design of the 33-storey tower that may have contributed to the speed with which the blaze spread is the cladding, which is an extra layer on the outside of a building, used often these days to make the exterior more attractive.

On their brochure, the developers of BeauMonde Towers flaunt “Aluminium Cladding & Glass exteriors” in defining their attempt at creating “a new level of residential luxury” in Mumbai, but this may well have intensified the blaze around the inverted glass triangle crowning the tower.

Scores of buildings around Mumbai are similarly wrapped in aluminium and glass cladding—offices, malls, luxury apartments and even schools and hospitals. Case in point: Bandra Kurla Complex.

Due to its glossy appearance and aesthetic pairing, glass and aluminium composites are the preferred choice to insulate a building from wind, rain and noise and to improve its facade. On the downside though, aluminium is a high conductor of heat that can potentially transfer fire very quickly while glass traps the heat. They also pose resistance to firefighting axes during attempts to break into a burning building.

“The trend of glass cladding is a result of copy-paste architecture without understanding its feasibility in our ecological system. Thermal glass panes are used in the west as an insulator, to keep the interiors warm and safe from high velocity winds. What is its relevance in India?” questions housing activist Chandrasekhar Prabhu.

So it may be time for Mumbai to snap out of its reverie and recognise the fire traps within its homes. There is nothing wrong if commercial and residential establishments crave for good looks, says Das. But they could be playing with fire, quite literally, if desire for aesthetics is accompanied by an urge for excessive furnishing. “One cannot expect people to stop using silk carpets or smart appliances. You can’t throw the baby out with the bathwater. There’s something called fire rating standards in every material – be it in construction or furnishing of interiors – and there are ways of achieving that mark. The problem is lack of knowledge and highhandedness in the adoption of such practices,” signs off Das.

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Source: realty.economictimes.indiatimes.com