“Fire & Gun powder
do not sleep together”… Chinese Proverb.
Indeed words of
wisdom has always flowed from the land of Zen & no wonder above simple
logic which tells us a great deal about planning our buildings makes me respect
Chinese philosophy a bit more! Before I explain the importance of this quote
let me share something which I came across on Face book by great modern world’s
architect James Law. This is about an incidence which shocked country like
England, one of the most developed that too in Europe; it’s about Grenfell
Tower fire which engulfed entire twenty five storied building in just few
hours. The death toll has already reached to thirty odd numbers & eared to
touch hundred as many people are still missing. Agreed it’s not first fire in
the world’s big cities & we have seen worst yet it was one of the most
damage making in history of England & nearly hundred people dying in Europe’s
city is like thousand people dying in our country, now you can make out its
scale! What is special about this fire is the lesson it gave the so called
civilized world that with all modern days safety norms & systems yet it
there can be such tragedy! On this background I came across a post on FB by
famous architect James Law from Hongkong, which made me share my thoughts on
the subject. Below is what James Law wrote about the Grenfell Tower fire, let’s
go through it & then we can have a look at what’s scene in our cities here…
What is Wrong with
Architecture?
Over the past few days, I was shocked
by the news of the Grenfell Tower fire in London where 17 people have died and
over 70 persons are still missing as of the time of this posting.
It cannot be without effect to myself
as an Architect to reflect on this tragedy and to critique the state of
Architecture today in which such a towering inferno could happen but otherwise
have been avoided.
I ask myself how
could we be living in a time when we have the engineering to fly, the
technology to go to space, the science of fire safety, and the wisdom of common
sense that we can still allow for death traps such as Grenfell Tower to even
exist.
As a citizen I can
lay the blame on society and perhaps the governance structures that have
allowed such buildings. However as an architect, I have to blame myself and my
profession for allowing for such an immoral paradigm of architecture.
Architecture has become obsessed with
all that is unhealthy and immoral in the modern world. It has become a system
focused on wealth and asset value. It is an instrument to extract financial
gain in the urbanized condition, and architecture fundamentally has become a
tool beyond the inhabitant.
Architecture has also become polarized
and distracted, with its obsessions for beautification, aesthetics and branding
over taking its fundamental obligations for safety, health and core values of
community to protect and nurture its citizens.
Architecture was once a bright light
for society, a beacon of values upon which society could build upon to create
peace and stability. Architecture once represented from the creative output of
man the optimism that we could build a better world for all.
But all this is gone. It's gone because
the managers of Grenfell Tower did not have these fundamental values, and so
made decisions in the design, upgrade and management of a building that
ultimately became a death trap to so many innocent citizens.
What Grenfell Tower reminds me is
that as architects, we have a moral responsibility to primarily safeguard the
safety, health and well being of the public above all other considerations of
aesthetics, sustainability, and commercial value.
What Grenfell Tower also reminds me
is that until Architecture once again hold to higher ideals and core values of
humanity, our architecture will become the fundamentally dangerous blocks of
our urbanscape, and would have forgone our ultimate opportunity to build a
better fabric of mankind.
It's time to wake
up…. James Law.
What a sensitive mind this guy has,
maybe that’s what makes you special from others in any profession & on this
background except one day news on news papers no personality from the field of
real estate or related to it has taken any cognizance in our country of this mishap.
Well, I am not surprised, as in the country where more than three hundred people
die every day in road accidents who cares for some seventy odd people dying in
a fire in some country thousands of kilometers away from us! Here in this very
State of Maharashtra our Mantralay itself caught fire & was burning for
whole day killing few people but damaging entire working of this State for
months & the repairs went for years & yet if someone visits the place
the fire safety aspect is same or worst than what it was earlier! Now about the
Grenfell towers, its neighbors as well survivors of the fire are claiming that
they have been writing to authorities about the fire possibilities & lacuna
in the fire safety systems but it went to deaf ears. I am not familiar with the fire safety system which
manages these aspects in England but I know what deaf ears of system are! And
why just deaf ears, we do witness everyday deaf ears along with blind eyes, numb
brains, and crippled hands of the body named system. Here when I say system I
meant not just so called Govt but everybody associated with the real estate. And I am deliberately saying real estate as if there is
safety issue about an airplane then we blame aviation industry & same is
about railway or shipping. Even if some industry meets with operational
accident like Bhopal Gas leak by Union Carbide then we blame the chemical
industry so if we are referring to building fires & safety aspect then
every person associated with real in whatsoever capacity is responsible to the
tragedy. And that’s why I called the system not just deaf or blind but
dead as we have become veteran (read namchin in Marathi) criminals on the front
of safety when it comes to the buildings! If somebody is hurt by my allegation
then ask yourself just to have a look at some major real estate tragedies
taking lives of many or ruining families’ entire future in one moment. If, why “if”,
I am sure most of us have forgotten a
building which got fall down like house of cards in Ambegaon, Pune some three
years back, killing a youth who was trying to save his new car & twenty
families become homeless in few minutes! With all hohallah committees were
formed by authorities, announcements were made to find our every illegal
building & take action, safety audits will be done of every such building
is also declared by the so called system; media highlighted news as well
photographs of surveys being done by officers, associations of developers &
architects. Safety code of conduct at construction sites were wrote as well various
affidavits from structural designers, licensed engineers were made
mandatory for plan sanctions & what happened after that? Nobody till today
knows how many illegal buildings are there in & around Pune; rather still
illegal buildings are being built. There are certificates as well affidavits by
engineers & structural designers but each has taken care to save his skin
while doing so as concern is not building’s safety but their own safety if mishap
occurs! And then there are flood related tragedies causing landslides, site
accidents, slab collapse & what not. Yes fire tragedy is yet to occur
claiming some two digit & more lives but I am sure that day isn’t far away
with this dead system!
Like every NOC there is a farce of
fire NOC (no objection certificate from fire dept about building is safe on
fire threat front) in real estate, as the norms are age old & not keeping
practicality with today’s planning as well needs. With illogical minds some cut
paste rules have been formed & everybody accepts it, as one there is no
point in applying logic with Govt & second everybody knows once the
building is complete nobody is going to care what is happening at site
regarding fire safety! For e.g. two stair cases & making it air tight;
visit any building & see the way these staircases are planned, these
airtight staircases will become smoke chambers actually as they are not
maintained & doors are having gaps in most building. What I feel a staircase
outside of building line & open from all sides will be best actually but
that’s not allowed. Then the biggest joke is fire engine side margins i.e.
distances of building line from the boundary walls, these are keeping in mind
Snorkel i.e. fire rescue system but to my knowledge its break down since long;
thanks god till now no need has arrived yet for the same. Then there is fire
rescue area mandatory to be kept as 25% of floor area above eighth floor
height; here also when every flat has a terrace why one needs as in the kind of
our residential buildings with main construction material is concrete, bricks i.e.
makes it impossible for fire to spread from one flat to other, there no need
for such. As we don’t have central air conditioning or airtight passages &
lobbies with false ceilings. And then why on rescue zone on just eighth floor,
what about mid floor rescue how it’s going to serve the purpose for entire building?
Fir pumps at ground floor with capacity of head rising till tenth floor is also
one more joke as how it can help when the fire is inside. So many things have
to be revamped & make the fire NOC really effective is need of time.
The most important
& equally neglected aspect is post occupancy maintenance of fire safety
arrangements made by the developer. There is no fire safety audit mandatory
& I don’t know one residential complex where it’s being done. You can visit any building
even high rise, two or three years down its occupancy & you will find it in
grave situation of fire safety front. Fire pumps are not being maintained, water
sprinklers haven’t been tested since its fixing. The fire hydrant hose pipes
& Valves are not in place as well in non-functioning mode. And why just
common areas but even inside the flats where fire danger is most because of
heavy wooden interiors most people don’t even have a fire extinguisher in their
flats! The entire internal concealed wiring which is main reason of fires due
to short circuit is hardly checked periodically by skilled wireman. The scene in commercial buildings especially
IT parks which are most susceptible to fires isn’t different, though a shade
better than residential buildings. Mock fire drills are never conducted so that
the occupants will be aware how to behave in case of fires. Actually a lesson
to learn from the Grenfell Tower fire is the basic building material which made
the entire building caught fire like a match stick! The so called glazed
buildings we have in the name of modern look IT parks are actually death boxes
in case of fire, making all the smoke gets clogged inside the building & in
addition to it all this gazing & cladding works ends up generating more
heat & making rescue operations impossible. Even the developers doesn’t take
this aspect seriously as along with giving air conditioners & fancy gadgets
in flats nobody thinks of giving fire extinguishers, this shows lack of our vision
on safety from fire! This is where James Law’s
concerns needs to be seriously taken by entire architect as well engineering
fraternity as while planning & executing our planning only we can take care
of fire factor at its best! All this shows the negligent attitude of us as a
society, regarding our own safety from fire. But then what else can be expected
by the people who need a law or get fined for not wearing helmet while driving when
their own head is at stake!
Now speaking about
rescue operation, our firemen are at par with our soldiers at frontiers &
salute to their courage, looking at the way they have to work with age old equipments
our fire brigade has! Recently there was lots of publicity in media about first Fire
Brigade Museum being opened in Pune. This museum
displays the history of Pune fire brigade as well various equipment used to
fight fire, pictures, models & panels. Agreed its great way to make common
citizens aware about the tough job fire brigade has to do. Though the firemen
from Pune’s fire brigade jokes that their existing equipments itself are in
historic condition & needs to be kept in the very museum only! And they are
not wrong as recently I read a news about fire suits which the firemen needs to
wear while extinguishing fire have become old. The news also mentioned that fire
department after repeatedly demanding for all these equipments, is still
awaiting the fire suits as well helmets & authorities has no time to look
in for demands of fire brigade! Well well, when we will fulfill fire brigade’s
such very basic demands; after few firemen lost their lives along with some Grenfell
tower in the city gets burnt out? And if this is attitude of our dead system
towards the fire brigade itself then, who the hell cares about citizens & the
buildings they reside in!
With the rampant growth happening in & around this smart city we can’t
afford to neglect safety aspect that of the residents in all these building. On
this background sensitiveness towards building planning & execution by architects
like James Law stands out as growth doesn’t mean just building tall buildings &
occupying them to fullest capacity. Growth is giving the citizens safe life
style also & this can happen when everybody associated with the growth
becomes sensitive & act responsibly for the same! I will conclude with my condolences
towards the victims of Grenfell Tower & with the words, “No more Grenfell
Tower!”
--
Sanjay Deshpande
Sanjeevani Dev.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1415&v=blgni8HSfDU
Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani ! (Click the links below)
Sanjeevani Dev.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=1415&v=blgni8HSfDU
Please do visit my blogs to know about our philosophy at Sanjeevani ! (Click the links below)
http://jivnachadrushtikon.blogspot.in/
Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/
For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below
www.punecorporation.org
Think Green, Think Life
www.sanjeevanideve.com
Social Side of Sanjeevani ! (Click link below)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/65629150@N06/sets/72157627904681345/
For any of your complaints about city, log in at link below
www.punecorporation.org
Think Green, Think Life
www.sanjeevanideve.com
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