Refuge floors of skyscrapers

Q: What are refuge floors?

Krishna: A refuge floor is a designated safe, well-ventilated temporary staging area in a high-rise building where people can gather during emergencies like a fire.
Urban planners had to solve the logistical nightmare of high-rise fire evacuations. Under local building codes, skyscrapers over a certain height must feature these safe zones at regular intervals.

Under India's National Building Code (NBC), they are mandatory for buildings taller than 24 meters, typically positioned above the 24-meter mark and at regular intervals (such as every 7 floors).

Key Rules and Design Standards
Location & Frequency: Required for residential and commercial high-rises exceeding 24 meters; for buildings between 30 to 70 meters, the first interval starts around 24–30 meters and repeats every 7 floors.
Size Requirements: Must provide at least 0.3 m² per person (or a minimum of 15 m², whichever is greater) to accommodate occupants from adjoining floors safely.
Ventilation: Must remain open to the sky or heavily ventilated on at least one side to prevent toxic smoke buildup.
Signage & Access: Doors must remain unlocked during emergencies and feature bright, luminous "REFUGE AREA" warning text.

Prohibited Uses

No Selling or Renting: Builders cannot market, sell, or enclose these zones as habitable apartments.
No Storage or Parties: Using a refuge space for storage, personal balconies, cooking, or social recreation is strictly illegal.
No Obstructions: The area must stay completely clear of furniture, temporary structures, and locked gates.

Why we need them in high rise buildings

If you step out of a stairwell onto a refuge floor, you will find a remarkably bare space. These levels are stripped of furniture, carpets, and anything else combustible. They are constructed with strict fire-resistant materials, including heavily reinforced concrete floors and walls designed to withstand a severe blaze for several hours. Crucially, they are often open to the outside air on at least two sides. This cross-ventilation ensures that if smoke from a lower floor drifts up, it is immediately blown out rather than suffocating the people resting inside.

During a fire, these floors serve two vital purposes. First, they act as resting points. Descending thousands of steps causes severe leg fatigue, especially for the elderly, injured, or young children. Without a place to rest, exhausted evacuees might collapse, completely blocking the narrow stairwells for everyone trapped above them. The refuge floor provides a protected area to catch a breath, let faster groups pass, or wait for rescue if continuing the descent is not an option.

Second, refuge floors serve as forward operating bases for the fire department. Instead of hauling heavy hoses all the way up from the street, firefighters can take a designated, pressurized fire lift directly to the refuge floor below the emergency. From this safe staging area, emergency responders can connect to the building's internal water supply, organize their equipment, and launch a coordinated attack on a blaze just a few floors away.

While they might look like wasted real estate to a property developer, these empty concrete floors act as massive firebreaks and lifelines, making life in the clouds a survivable reality.

However, some previously constructed high-rises in the cities of India may lack proper designated refuge spaces or face maintenance issues like locked doors or blocked areas. 

If you are buying a flat, check whether the building has fire safety measures or not before paying and moving forward with the buying process.