The Challenges

• Open-air and naturally ventilated design: The subtropical design, with open-air corridors and cross-ventilation, required careful fire and smoke control strategies, particularly around compartmentation and smoke hazard management.
• Vertical integration of green spaces: Extensive greenery and external planters increased potential combustible loads and presented challenges in maintaining clear egress paths and limiting vertical fire spread.
• Mixed-use integration at ground level: Restaurants and cafés at the base of the tower introduced risks related to kitchen exhaust systems, fire separation, and access requirements for multiple tenancies.
• High-rise evacuation complexity: The 47-storey height necessitated enhanced evacuation strategies, including occupant mobility considerations, stair pressurisation, and fire brigade intervention access within a climate-responsive building envelope.

Bloom’s Impact

• Enhanced passive design for fire safety: Bloom leveraged the naturally ventilated façade to reduce reliance on complex mechanical smoke extraction in common areas, improving resilience and reducing energy consumption.
• Efficient compartmentation strategies: A bespoke fire separation strategy, integrating glazing and sprinklers, enabled the open design vision without compromising safety.
• Fire service access optimisation: Early collaboration with fire authorities allowed tailored fire appliance access despite the constrained CBD site and rationalised fire hydrant performance in line with the compartmentation strategy.
• Sustainable compliance with high ratings: Achieving a 6 Star Green Star rating demonstrated the successful integration of advanced fire safety solutions with environmental performance, reflecting modern engineering standards.