Smoke Control in Tall Buildings: Examining Best Practices
Modern tall buildings often contain hundreds if not thousands of occupants, effectively acting as small cities contained within a single structure. Smoke control is part of an integrated approach for safeguarding occupant and firefighter safety in these buildings, since one fire event can impact the entire structure if not adequately addressed according to the standard of care. Varying combinations of active and passive smoke management may be appropriate depending on the height of the building, occupancy, level of compartmentation, and types of intercommunicating spaces. Local regulations tied to firefighting operational procedures may also impact the specific approach and requirements for smoke control. In this webinar, we will discuss common types of smoke control systems and explore design approaches for integrating these systems.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After attending this webinar, participants will be able to:
- Understand the types of smoke control that may be found in tall buildings.
- Identify drivers for smoke control and corresponding strategies related to limiting smoke movement or eliminating smoke from spaces.
- Recognize the differences between active smoke control and passive smoke control.
- Discuss how smoke control can be effectively implemented to reduce the likelihood that a single point of failure will unduly endanger occupants in tall buildings.
Participants will earn 1.0 AIA CES Learning Unit (LU/HSW) for attending the live webinar. Registration is free. Please note that space is limited – email events@sgh.com to join our waitlist if the session is closed when you register.
About the Speaker
Nate Wittasek is a fire protection engineer whose work blends building science, performance-based design, and code strategy to solve complex challenges in both new construction and existing buildings. His background spans academia, the fire service, failure analysis, hazardous materials, and fire life safety for a wide range of occupancies in North America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. In addition to large commercial, institutional, and cultural projects, Nate has significant experience with rehabilitation, historic structures, and adaptive reuse, where legacy conditions, aging systems, and evolving codes intersect. He helps project teams navigate these constraints with a practical, science-based approach that clarifies risk, aligns design intent with regulatory requirements, and supports creative solutions when prescriptive paths fall short. Nate’s practice covers fire life safety systems, code compliance, performance-based engineering, resiliency design, and accessibility consulting for academic campuses, assembly and performance venues, laboratories, multi-family dwellings, tall buildings, and critical infrastructure. His work is grounded in a commitment to modernizing buildings safely and pragmatically while supporting the design vision and long-term use of each project.
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