Battle Building
UVA Children's Hospital
University of Virginia
Charlottesville, VA
United States
Project Facts:
182,261 sf
•
Three story
Atrium
•
Multiple Hospital and
Medical Building Usage
Sector(s)
Services
"University of Virginia Battle Building" by University of Virginia. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0
info:
Rhino FPE served as Fire Protection Engineer of Record for the new Battle Building, The multiple features of this high-rise hospital /medical facility required several interrelated fire protection systems including atria smoke control, stair pressurization, smoke compartment design, fire alarm with voice communication capabilities, seismic design, and multiple types of fire suppression systems (dry-type, pre-action, window sprinkler protection, wet-type, standpipe, and secondary on-site fire pump and tank water supply.
A challenge in the project was the narrow and long shape of the atrium. Rhino developed a computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model using Fire Dynamics Simulator (FDS) to validate the design for the atrium smoke control system that was developed with prescriptive correlations. The ceiling configuration required special design for the smoke exhaust outlets to prevent plug-holing.