Johannesburg library safety concerns lead to delayed reopening

The City of Johannesburg closed the public library in the central business district in 2021 due to safety concerns, primarily about fire suppression.

According to Engineering News Online, A report on the building’s condition raised issues regarding civil, structural, electrical, and mechanical services.

Initially, the city planned to reopen the library in February 2024, but it has now stated that repairs will only be completed in 2025.

This follows an incident in February when the Khayelitsha Library in Cape Town was temporarily closed after a fire to assess the extent of the damage.

Fire suppression system details

The Johannesburg Heritage Foundation revealed that independent engineers and architects concluded that a gas-driven fire suppression system must be commissioned for the library’s stacks.

ASP Fire CEO Michael van Niekerk explained the system: “The gas-driven fire suppression system, also known as a clean agent fire suppression system, is designed to extinguish fires without causing damage to valuable materials or equipment.”

The system uses smoke or heat detectors to sense abnormal conditions and activates, releasing a clean agent gas like FM-200, Novec 1230, or Inergen, which displaces oxygen and extinguishes the fire.

Challenges of installing the system in a heritage building

Installing an appropriate fire detection and suppression system in the Johannesburg Library is complicated by its status as a heritage building.

Van Niekerk stated: “The best option is to use a gas fire suppression system designed specifically for archives and libraries, which have the benefit of not leaving behind any damaging residue.”

However, the challenge is the large quantity of gas required to protect the heritage building’s contents.

Heritage buildings often have timber internal structures, which are not aligned with modern regulations, making retrofitting difficult.

Modern buildings use drencher systems to protect exteriors and advanced systems like recessed sprinklers and hypoxic systems to reduce fire risk.

The importance of a holistic fire-risk assessment

A comprehensive fire-risk assessment is crucial for effectively managing fire risks in heritage buildings.

This includes considering internal ignition sources and managing them appropriately, as well as modernising electrical systems without affecting the building’s heritage appearance.

Modern electrical management systems can automatically shut down if risks are detected, significantly reducing the fire risk.

Van Niekerk concluded: “Managing the internal environment of a building adequately allows for the fire risk to be minimised.

“Obviously, risk can never be eliminated by 100%, but it can definitely be reduced to an acceptable level.”