FIRE-RESPONSIVE ARCHITECTURE: A FRAMEWORK FOR THE DESIGN OF MULTIFUNCTIONAL EXHIBITION CENTRES IN JOS, PLATEAU STATE, NIGERIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/Keywords:
Fire-responsive architecture, exhibition centre design, trade fair facilities, passive fire protection, public assembly buildingsAbstract
Exhibition centres and trade fair facilities occupy a uniquely demanding position within the public assembly building typology. Their combination of high occupant densities, large open-plan spaces, variable combustible loads, and the frequent presence of users unfamiliar with their surroundings creates fire risk conditions of exceptional complexity. In developing economies such as Nigeria where fire safety governance is often inconsistently enforced, permanent exhibition infrastructure remains scarce, emergency service capacity is limited, and utility infrastructure is unreliable; these challenges are significantly compounded. This paper advances the concept of fire-responsive architecture: an approach in which fire safety principles are embedded as generative design drivers from the earliest stages of spatial planning, rather than applied retrospectively as technical overlays. Drawing on a systematic review of fire safety literature and a structured comparative analysis of three trade fair facilities in Nigeria, the United States, and Germany, the paper derives a five-dimensional framework addressing: site planning for fire safety; passive structural and spatial fire protection; active suppression and detection systems; smoke ventilation and control; and emergency egress. The framework is contextualised against the conditions of West African developing economy cities using Jos, Plateau State, Nigeria as an illustrative reference context and demonstrates that fire-responsive design is achievable through conventional architectural and engineering decision-making. The framework offers a replicable methodology for architects and built environment practitioners working on large public assembly facilities across sub-Saharan Africa and comparable developing-world contexts.
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