On the use of fuzzy synthetic evaluation and optimal classification for computing fire risk ranking of buildings

Fire risk ranking is particularly useful for building designers to compare two different solutions to assess if the safety is similar. However, the multi-criteria and imprecise nature of the fire safety attributes in buildings has caused difficulties in quantifying the fire safety level. Further to the previous works, the author presented a fuzzy synthetic evaluation system for computing the fire risk ranking of buildings. It could serve for multi-level fire safety assessment framework. Linguistic terms were adopted instead of subjective numerical values. A two-level evaluation model, including fuzzy optimal classification model and linear weighted mean model, was developed to facilitate the synthetic process. A case of fire safety ranking in high-rise residential buildings in Hong Kong was presented for illustration purpose. The evaluation result was analyzed by the maximum membership degree principle method. © Springer-Verlag London Limited 2009.