The simulation of evacuation from multistorey building using NetLogo

Abstract

The occupants of a multistorey building are very vulnerable when disaster happens (e.g. fire, earthquake, etc.). In the worst case, the only way to escape is through the emergency stairways, in which they scramble with the occupants coming from the higher floors. This situation often creates bottlenecks along the way, which in turn extends the evacuation time. In addition, the panic situation increases the risks of accidents, causing injuries or even death. In this research, we use NetLogo to simulate the evacuation process from a simplified multistorey building based on some parameters, which are the placement of the emergency stairways, the number of occupants in each floor, the number of stories, and the height of the floor. We set simulation scenarios to analyze the relation between the number of stories with evacuation time in each configuration. In our experiment context, we conclude that when the time-limit applies, the total evacuation through stairways is not effective for buildings having more than three storeys.