Soluzioni di wayfinding non invasive per aumentare la sicurezza antincendio negli edifici storici

Fire safety codes in Building Heritage generally suggest to increase number and dimension of exits and paths so as to reduce the needed egress time. Similar solutions clearly clash with preservation criteria because introduce massive modifications to the original building layout. On the contrary, the “behavioural design” approach tries to solve this conflict by proposing not-invasive solutions based on effective human behaviours. Instead of modifying the building layout, wayfinding solutions can reduce the needed egress time by improving the occupants’ use of paths during the evacuation process. An innovative wayfinding system based on photoluminescent materials (visible in all illumination and smoke conditions) and continuous signage system is proposed. Drills in a significant case study (an historic Italian- style theatre) shows that the maximum egress time decreases of about 26% in comparison to the traditional wayfinding systems, and without any building layout modifications.