TCVN 6160:1996 UNOFFICIAL TRANSLATED VERSION

VIETNAM STANDARDS TCVN 6160:1996

Fire protection – High-rise building - Design requirements

1 Scope of application

This Standard specifies basic requirements for fire fighting and protection when
designing for new construction, renovation or enlargement of high-rise civil works..

This Standard is not applied for construction works with height over 100m and theaters,
gymnasiums and meeting halls.

2. Extracted standards

TCVN 2622:1978 Fire fighting and protection for houses and buildings – Design
requirements

TCVN 5738:1993 Fire alarm system – Technical requirements

TCVN 5760:1993 Fire-fighting system – General requirements for design, installation

and utilization

TCVN 5717: 1993 Lightning protection rods

TCVN 4756: 1989 Norms of electrical equipment grounding and airing.

3 Terminology and definitions

3.1 High-rise buildings refer to buildings and public works with height from 25m to
100m (equivalent to 10 floors to 30 floors)

3.2 Building height is the height calculated from sidewalk surface to the lower edge of
the gutters or eaves.

Top of machine room, water tank, machine room of lift, mechanical equipment, smoke-
exhausting equipment on the roof shall not be included in the height or number of floors
of high-rise buildings.

Basement or half-underground basement of which the ceiling is higher than the outer
sidewalk surface by not more than 1.5m, shall not be included in the number of floors of
such high-rise building.

4 General regulations

4.1 The fire-fighting and protection design for high-rise civil works shall conform to the
requirements in this standard and other relevant fire fighting and protection
standards.
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4.2 When designing fire fighting and protection for new construction, renovation or
enlargement of high-rise buildings, it is required to base on the planning of the
whole area or section and closely coordinate with the fire-fighting and protection
design solution of the adjacent work (arrangement of traffic roads, fire-fighting
water supply pipeline system, fire alarm information, etc.)

High-rise building design shall be approved for design and fire-fighting equipment
by the authorities concerned.

5. Requirements for fire resistance

5.1 High-rise buildings shall be designed with Fire-resistant Rate 1 and minimum fire-
resistant limit of the main components as well as materials for making such
components as stated in Table 1

Table 1

Fire-resistant limit, minutes

Building Supporting
Floor plate Floor plate
fire- wall column, Landing, Non
Non and other and other
lift chamber stairs and supporting
resistant wall, fire other lift
supporting
inner wall
floor roof
rate outer wall supporting supporting
protection components (partition)
components components
wall
I 150 60 30 30 60 30

Note: The steel structure for basement, roof and floor shall be protected by non-
flammable materials/components with fire resistant limit not less than 60 min.

5.2 The minimum fire resistant limit of other fire protection parts is as follows:
-
Door, window and gate at fire-protection wall shall be made of non-flammable
materials with fire resistant limit not less than 45 minutes.
-
The fire protection partitions shall be made of non-flammable materials with
fire resistant limit not lower than 45 minutes.
-
Door, window at fire protection partition, fire protection; fire door to basement,
roof door shall be made of non-flammable materials with fire resistant limit not
less than 40 minutes.
-
Fire protection floor (floor between storeys, floor of cellar, floor of mezzanine)
shall be made of non-flammable materials with fire resistant limit not less than
60 minutes.

5.3 For other doors, windows, roof doors, floors and partitions which are not stated in
Items 5.1, 5.2 and wall/ceiling decoration objects, it is allowed to be made of
flammable materials.

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5.4 Load resistant components of stairs (beam, landing, stair) shall be made of non-
flammable materials with fire resistant limit not less than 60 minutes.

5.5 Wall and floor of the lift well arranged indoors shall be made of non-flammable
materials with fire resistant limit not less than 60 minutes.

In the case of being arranged outdoors, such walls and floors shall be made of non-
flammable materials with fire resistant limit not less than 30 minutes.

5.6 Roofs of the buildings are allowed to be made of flammable heat-insulating

materials on the surface of concrete slabs, concrete beams and cement asbestos
sheets.

5.7 In apartment-styled buildings, the partitions between units/blocks shall be made of

non-flammable materials with fire-resistant limit not less than 60 minutes. The
partitions between apartments shall be made of non-flammable with fire-resistant
limit not less than 40 minutes.

5.8 Partitions in mid-corridor of the building shall be made of non-flammable materials

with fire-resistant limit not less than 30 minutes.

5.9 Floor and ceiling which separate wall-foot story shall be made of non-flammable
with fire-resistant limit not less than 90 minutes.

5.10 Lift chamber floor, lobby with passage from stairs or lobby to a space shall be made
of non-flammable with fire-resistant limit not less than 60 minutes.

6. Fire protection requirements

6.1 Each storey of high-rise building shall be divided into compartments. Each
compartment shall have maximum area as stated in Table 2

Table 2

Type of houses and buildings Max. allowed area of each

compartment, m2
-
Houses, hotels with more than 19
storeys and other public works with 1000
height from 50m upwards.
-
Houses, hotels from 10 to 18 storeys
and other public works with height 1500
under 50m.
-
Basement 500

Note:
-
Area of each compartment stated in Table 2 can be doubled if such compartments are
designed with automatic fire fighting system. In case automatic fire fighting system is
designed for part of a hold, the area of such part shall be doubled.

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6.2 The fire protection walls shall be built from foundation or foundation beam up to
top of building height, cutting through all components and floors. It is allowed to
build fire protection wall directly on frame structure if the frame fire-resistant limit
is larger than that of the fire protection wall.

6.3 The fire protection wall shall be ensured of durability, not being collapsed when
there is impact from one side due to the burning of floor, roof or other components.

6.4 No door shall be arranged at fire protection walls. In case it is necessary to arrange
doors at fire protection walls, the requirement in Item 5.2 shall be met.

6.5 It is not allowed to place flammable gas/liquid conduct pipes through the fire
protection wall, floor or partition.

6.6 For other service pipes, when placing them through the fire-protection wall, floor or
partition, it is required to place automatic fire protection valve at the penetration to
prevent the fire from spreading along the pipes. Around the pipes located close to
the fire protection wall, floor and partition, it is required to plaster with non-
flammable mortar with fire resistant limit equivalent to that of fire protection wall,
floor or partition.

6.7 The structures surrounding lift wells, machine rooms, ditches, wells, niches where
conduit pipes are installed shall ensure fire protection requirements with fire
resistant limit not less than 100 minutes. When placing buffering holds for the lift,
the partitions shall have a fire-resistant limit not less than 45 minutes.

6.8 It is not permitted to arrange fire protection walls at the transition corner of a U-
shaped or L-shaped high-rise building. In case a fire protection wall is positioned
close to a transition corner, the distance between the window and the fire protection
wall shall not be less than 4m. If the window is made of non-flammable materials
with fire resistant limit not less than 60 minutes, no distance shall be restricted.

6.9 To ensure no fire spreading, a fire protection wall shall be designed between floors.
The services pipes connecting a floor to another shall be made of non-flammable
materials and a check plate must be available once required.

7 Plan arrangement

7.1 High-rise building shall ensure a fire-fighting and protection space conforming to
TCVN 2622:1978 and shall have an empty area in front of the ways out at Floor 1
(Ground floor) for safe exit. Construction area and maximum length of the building
is stipulated in Table 3.

Table 3

Type of high-rise building Construction area, m2 Maximum length, m

With fire protection wall Not stipulated Not stipulated
Without fire protection wall 2200 110

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7.2 In a building where there are shop-windows, public room, kindergarten, room
separation shall be made with non-flammable wall and floor with fire resistant limit
not less than 45 minutes.

7.3 Oil, gas furnaces, transformers, high voltage electric equipment shall not be placed in
high-rise buildings but in a separate room outside.

In special case when it is required to place them inside, then

1) the gas, oil furnaces shall not be placed above, next to or beneath a crowded
room. The partitions between the furnaces and other rooms shall be made of non-
flammable materials with fire resistant limit not less than 150 minutes. Floor and
other separated parts shall also be made of non-flammable materials with fire
resistant limit not less than 60 minutes.

2) the furnaces, transformers shall be located in Floor 1 with direct exit.

3) equipment using oil must have oil spillage room structure.

7.4 Rooms to be used as hall, kindergarten shall only be located in Floors 1, 2 or 3 and
near the exits.

7.5 Rooms which are often crowded with people shall not be located in the basement. If
it is necessary to locate in the basement, then the room area shall not be larger than
300m2 and there shall be at least 2 direct exits.

7.6 If a car-park is located in a high-rise building, requirements for fire protection and
emergency exits for the building residents shall be satisfied.

7.7 It is not allowed to install flammable gas or liquid conduit pipes underneath a high-
rise building.

8. Emergency exits

8.1 In a high-rise building there must be at least 2 emergency exits to ensure for people
to escape safely once there is fire, and also to make favorable conditions for the fire-
fighting team to perform their duties.

8.2 In a high-rise building where the area of each floor is more than 300m2, there shall
be at least two exits to emergency stairs for every shared passage or corridor. It is
allowed to design emergency stair on one side, while on the other side a balcony is
designed connecting to outside emergency stair if the area of each floor is less than
300m2.

Note: The balcony connecting to outside emergency stair shall be able to accommodate
number of people calculated in the rooms of such floor.

8.3 An exit is considered safe once it ensures one of the following conditions:

a) going from the rooms in Floor 1 directly outside or through the lobby to outside.
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b) going from rooms in any floor (except Floor 1) to the corridor with way to:
-
safe stair or safe corridor from which there are exits.
-
outer stairs or outer corridor with exits.

c) going from any room to an adjacent room in the same floor (except Floor 1) from
which there are exits as described in a) and b).

8.4 Safety stairs and safety corridor shall ensure the following conditions:
-
Supporting structure and covering structure shall have fire-resistant limit not
less than 60 minutes.
-
The fire protection door shall be able to close automatically and made of non-
flammable materials with fire resistant limit not less than 45 minutes.
-
Having pressurized ventilation and not being condensed with smoke in lift
chamber.
-
Having indicating lamps.
-
Stairs must be ventilated form ground to floors with way to the roof

8.5 The furthest distance allowed calculated from the door of the most remote room to
the closest exit (excluding toilet, bathroom) shall not be larger than:
-
50m for rooms located between two staircases or two exits, 25m for rooms with
only one staircase in an annex building.
-
40m for rooms located between two staircases or two exits, 25m for rooms with
only one staircase or one exit in a public building, collective house or
apartment.

8.6 Total width calculated for doors, exits, corridors or flight of stairs: 1m for 100
people, but shall not be smaller than:
-
0.8m for doors
-
1m for passage
-
1.4m for corridor
-
1.05m for flight of stairs

8.7 Height of doors, passages of emergency exits shall be ensured not lower than 2m;
For basement and wall-foot floor, it shall not be lower than 1.9m; for roof floor it
shall not be lower than 1.5m.
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8.8 It is allowed to use fire-fighting stairs as second exit, but the following requirements
must be ensured:
-
having a width of at least 0.7m
-
the largest inclination angle against horizontal surface not more than 60o
-
stairs must have handrails with height of 0.8m

8.9 The number of stairs of each flight shall neither be less than 3 nor be over 18. It is
not allowed to use corkscrew or fan-shaped staircases as emergency exit. The largest
inclination angle of staircase shall be 1:1.75.

9 Lift

9.1 High-rise buildings often include lifts operating continuously to serve for residents
and transporting materials.

9.2 It is not allowed to arrange service pipes in lift well, machine chamber and lift-
pulley chamber.

9.3 Prior to entering into a lift, there shall be a buffering room or hall to assemble people
or commodities. The width of such shall not be less than:
-
1.2m for passenger lift with load of 320kg
-
1.4m for passenger lift with load of 500kg
-
1.6m for passenger lift and commodity lift with load of 500kg when the width
of lift entrance is equal to lift width.
-
2.1m for passenger lift and commodity lift with load of 500kg when the width
of lift entrance is less than lift width.

9.4 At the first floor and wall-foot floor, it is arranged lift control room and other
technical equipment with an area not more than 10m 2 for a building and not more
than 20m2 for a group of buildings.

9.5 Lift shall not be used as emergency exit once there is fire.

10 Electrical and lighting equipment

10.1 The electrical equipment to be installed in a high-rise building shall be ensured of

quality and safety when putting in use.

10.2 Electricity using charge shall be calculated according to electrical standards and
regulations.

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10.3 At the inputs of electrical circuits there shall be input equipment or input distributor
and automatic protection equipment.

10.4 The electrical network in a building shall meet the following requirements:

1) allowed to use a separate branch from the common power supply line or from a
separate line from the input, main distributor or auxiliary distributor to supply
power to the electric equipment of different apartments.

2) one power line is allowed to supply power for some vertical wire sections, but
each vertical wire section shall be equipped with a separate breaker/switch at the
intersection/turning point.

3) it is required to use a separate power line from the main distribution panel to
supply power for lighting the stairs, shared passage and corridor.

10.5 Power consumption intensity for the electric equipment at each phase shall not
exceed the allowed intensity for conduct wire.

10.6 The voltage supplied for the lights in a building shall not exceed 380/220V for AC
electric network with neutral direct grounding system and not exceed 220V for AC
(alternate current) separate neutral and DC (direct current) electric network.

10.7 In toilets, W.C., bathrooms installed with wall lights above the door, it is required to
use type of lights with cover made of electrical insulation materials.

10.8 Light hangers on the ceiling shall be insulated and be able to bear a load of 5 times
the number of suspended lights in 10 minutes without falling.

10.9 It is allowed to place electrical conduit wire/cable (except standby case) together in
the same steel pipes and other pipes of different types with similar mechanical
durability in closed trenches/gutters and in building structures when:
-
all circuits are in the same power unit.
-
power supply circuits for lights are complicated
-
the circuits of some groups of the same lighting category (activity lighting,
event lighting) with number of conduct wires not over 8.

10.10 It is not permitted to place standby electrical circuits, activity lighting or event
lighting in the same pipe, box or trench.

10.11 When placing two or several conduit wires in a pipe, the internal pipe diameter
shall not be less than 11mm.

It is not allowed to place an AC electrical wire in steel pipe or insulated pipe with
steel cover if the nominal current intensity is over 25A.

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10.12 It is permitted to use flattened pipe or oval-shaped pipes, but the oval-shaped
pipes shall ensure that its large diameter shall not be 10% larger than its small
diameter.

10.13 Electric-wire containing pipe shall ensure a gradient for water to come out. No
water absorption or stagnancy shall be permitted.

10.14 Wire connection box or branch box, conduct wire/cable passing diameter as well
as number and pipe bending radius shall ensure facilitation for replacing conduct
wire/cable.

10.15 All connections and branch-turnings of electric wire/cable shall be performed in

wire connection box r branch box. The box composition shall conform to
installation method and environment. Box-making structure as well as box
-placing location shall facilitate inspection or repair once necessary.

10.16 Metal parts which are not bearing electricity from conduct wires shall be aired or
grounded.

10.17 It is allowed to place electric cables with rubber, lead or plastic cover in humid,
very humid rooms or rooms with fire risk and rooms with temperature not over
40oC.

10.18 In places where temperature is from 40oC or more, it is required to use electric
wire/cable of which the insulator and cover can resist high temperature, otherwise
electric charge shall be reduced.

10.19 It is required to use electric cable with copper core for high-rise buildings.

10.20 Electric wire/cable shall be located away from other items or components made of
flammable materials in a distance not less than 10mm.

10.21 The distance between electrical wire/cable and other pipes when being placed in
parallel with each other shall not be less than 100mm, with flammable liquid or
gas conduit pipe not smaller than 400mm. When electrical wire/cable is installed
in parallel with heat conduit pipe, insulation measures shall be taken.

10.22 Conduit wire/electric cable when passing through wall, floor or ceiling shall be
put in pipe and anti-absorption or anti-stagnancy measures shall be applied.

10.23 Specific items employed when installing conduit wire/electric cable shall conform
to the electrical regulations and standards.

10.24 It is required to design lightning protection system. When designing lightning

protection system, it should be ensured to fight against directly-striking lightning
and electrostatic induction. The lightning protection system shall be designed in
accordance with technical documents issued by the authorities and conform to
TCVN 5717:1993, TCVN 4756:1989.

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10.25 High-rise buildings shall be either naturally illuminated or illuminated by electric
power, in addition to event lighting system.

10.26 Living rooms, dining rooms, auxiliary rooms and public cultural activity rooms
are required to be illuminated by direct natural light.

10.27 The ratio of lighting compartment area of living room, bed room of the apartment
and collective house shall not be more than 1:5.5 against floor area. In separate
chambers of living room, bed room, it is permitted that the ratio shall not be over
1:4.5. In places where light is abundant, the above-mentioned ratios can be
reduced but not less than 1:8.

Note:

1) When calculating illumination area, it is allowed to calculate other compartments

with lighting capability.

2) In places where sunshine is plentiful, illumination area can be reduced 20%.

3) Illumination area is calculated based on the areas of window and balcony open to
the light side.

10.28 The distance between lighting compartment and crossing wall or partition shall
not exceed 1.4m, except for the case compartment is located on fire protection
walls or on the right angle wall of the room.

10.29 The shared corridor shall ensure to be naturally illuminated. In this case the
illumination area over the corridor area shall not be less than 1:16.

Length of the shared corridor when illuminating one side shall be 20m, two sides
shall be 40m. If the corridor is over 40m long, additional illumination shall be
provided.

For the corridor of floors, resting places with length not over 12m, it is permitted
not to design natural illumination.

10.30 Lift chamber shall be designed with natural illumination from outer wall window.
It is allowed to install glass with thickness more than or equal to 100mm on
lighting window between lift chamber and waiting rooms, corridors or common
dress room at each floor.

11 Ventilation and smoke exhaustion

11.1 All high-rise buildings shall be installed with ventilation and smoke exhaustion
systems at corridor and lift chamber. The components of this system shall be made
of non-flammable materials.

11.2 When designing ventilation system for dining room and toilet area, it is allowed:

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1) to connect the ventilation system from bathroom (w/o toilet) to the ventilation
system from dining room of the buildings/houses.

2) to connect the ventilation systems from toilets and bathrooms of the same
apartment.

3) to connect the ventilation system from dining room and toilet located at floors to
the common system. The connection distance shall not be less than the height of
a floor, but be equipped with adjustable net.

4) the air-discharge fan of dining room shall only be installed once the dining room
uses no gas cooker.

11.3 Ventilation or air-blowing in a closed lift chamber shall ensure safety for the
equipment of lift chamber and for window closing/opening.

The ventilation of a lift chamber without natural illumination shall be made through
a chamber or louver.

11.4 In order to vent smoke from corridors or buffer rooms of each floor, it shall be
designed forceful pushing chamber with valve at each floor. The pushing flow of
fan, pushing chamber cross section and control valve shall be determined according
to calculation. Valve and fan shall be automatically opened/shut by detectors and
control buttons at each floor.

11.5 In order that smoke from lift and lift chamber will not spread into the floors,
excessive air pressure in the floors shall be ensured to be 2kg/cm 2 once there is an
open door.

11.6 In order that smoke will not spread into lift and lift chamber and vice versa, a buffer
room shall be designed with automatically closed door, tightly buffered and there
shall be pressurizing system with excessive air pressure in the buffer room not less
than 2kg/cm2.

12 Fire alarm and fire fighting

12.1 High-rise buildings shall be designed with fire-alarm system. Proper design for fire-
alarm system shall be made pursuant to utilization purpose of the high-rise building.

12.2 When designing for fire-alarm system, the following basic requirements shall be
ensured:
-
detecting fire quickly
-
transmitting signal clearly
-
ensuring reliability

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12.3 In the case when fire alarm system is combined with fire fighting system, in addition
to fire alarm function, it shall operate the fire fighting system immediately to
extinguish a fire in due course.

12.4 The technical requirements for design and installation of fire alarm system shall
conform to TCVN 5738:1993

12.5 High-rise buildings shall be designed with internal fire-fighting system and external
fire-fighting water supply system.

12.6 The internal fire-fighting system can be designed either with automatic or manual
control subject to fire rate and using purpose. The sprinklers shall be installed in
corridor, buffer room, lift chamber at every floor or at least in rooms such as:
public room, large-area room and rooms with high fire-risk.

12.7 Fire-fighting substance shall be suitable with type of fire occurred in such high-rise
building. Types of fires are defined according to Items 2.1, 2.2 of TCVN
5760:1993.

12.8 Design for internal fire-fighting system shall conform to TCVN 5760:1993

12.9 In the case the internal fire-fighting system is wall fire-fighting system, it shall be
ensured that the number of fire-fighting hydrants to sprinkle simultaneously shall
be 2 and water flow calculated for each hydrant shall be 2.5l/sec.

12.10 Technical requirements for both internal and external fire-fighting water supply
system shall be applied according to TCVN 2622:1978

____________________

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