Designing Fire Protection Systems for Texas Donut-Style Multifamily Developments
About This Project
by Jason Beck, AET
The Texas Donut, a popular architectural style for multifamily residential buildings in the Sunbelt, presents unique fire protection system design challenges. These buildings, often characterized by residential units and/or retail and commercial tenant spaces that wrap around an interior parking structure, aim to create walkable urban spaces while addressing municipal parking requirements. However, this innovative design has complex fire safety considerations that those of us in the fire protection industry must address to ensure occupant safety and code compliance.
Fire Compartmentalization and Separation
One challenge for Texas Donut-style buildings is the need for fire separation between the residential units and the parking structure, which often have different building construction types. The proximity of parking facilities—often filled with potential ignition sources such as vehicles—requires strict adherence to fire-resistant construction materials and compartmentalization strategies. Fire-rated walls, floors, and horizontal assemblies must be incorporated to contain potential fires within the parking area and prevent them from spreading to the residential units.
Additionally, openings between the parking structure and the residential areas, such as doors, windows, or ventilation shafts, must be equipped with fire-rated assemblies or be protected by automatic fire shutters. As fire and life safety experts, we must ensure these separations are not only code-compliant but also constructible within the constraints of wood-framed mid-rise structures, adding complexity to the design.
Parking Garage Ventilation and Smoke Control
A significant fire protection consideration for Texas Donut-style buildings is the design of the parking garage’s ventilation and smoke control systems. Garages house vehicles that, in the event of a fire, can produce large amounts of smoke and toxic gases. Effective ventilation systems are critical for clearing smoke, ensuring visibility during an evacuation, and aiding firefighting efforts.
As fire protection specialists, we must balance natural and mechanical ventilation systems to meet code requirements while ensuring these systems integrate seamlessly into the building’s design. For larger parking structures, smoke control systems may be necessary, adding another layer of complexity to the overall fire protection strategy. These systems are essential to control smoke movement and ensure that stairwells and corridors remain smoke-free during an emergency.
Automatic Sprinkler System Design
As with any residential building, automatic sprinkler systems are crucial in Texas Donut-style buildings. However, the unique layout—with large parking structures and adjacent residential units—requires specialized zoning and coordination. The parking garage may need a dedicated sprinkler system designed to meet specific challenges posed by open spaces and frequently being separated from the residential areas by fire walls.
Residential units, on the other hand, may use a more traditional residential sprinkler system. Coordinating these two systems to ensure full coverage without redundancy or gaps is critical. Designers must also consider protecting areas such as storage rooms, common areas, and stairwells shared between the garage and residential spaces.
While the Texas Donut design offers innovative solutions to modern urban living by incorporating walkability and concealed parking, it also presents unique fire protection challenges. Addressing fire separation, smoke control, and sprinkler system design requires a thoughtful, well-coordinated approach to ensure these buildings remain safe and code-compliant. TERPconsulting’s team of fire protection specialists play a pivotal role in overcoming these challenges while helping developers meet the growing demand for walkable, sustainable urban environments.
Jason Beck, AET, is a regional director and senior fire protection consultant at TERPconsulting. He deftly manages a spectrum of responsibilities in his leadership of the firm’s Las Vegas headquarters, including overseeing building and fire code consulting and plan review in general, fire protection reports, master egress, smoke control, and accessibility.
