The maximum capacity of the Taipei Dome is to be reduced from 140,000 to 90,000 people, Taipei Deputy Mayor Charles Lin (林欽榮) said yesterday, adding that seven safety standards which the Taipei City Government is holding the complex to would ensure that the facility has “zero fatalities and vulnerabilities against contingencies.”
Speaking at a news conference in Taipei, Lin touted the seven safety standards as viable and credible evaluation tools.
The reduction in capacity is to help contractor Farglory Group meet the standards, Lin said, adding that Farglory would have to clear the ground levels of the complex’s five buildings.
According to the standards, Farglory must ensure that it takes no more than 15 minutes for all people to leave their seats and move to a concourse reserved for evacuations before exiting the stadium.
This requirement would be judged based on an average walking speed of 1.2m per second, an established seating plan and no stairways or exits closed.
Fire prevention compartments and other facilities should be present to allow the complex to withstand up to 30 minutes of fire and to ensure safety on the concourse.
The standards also stipulate that Farglory should allocate sufficient space outside of the complex for evacuations — excluding space taken up by vegetation, stairs and basements — and an 8m-wide passage for fire engines at all buildings in the complex.
To ensure traffic flow during an evacuation, evacuee density should not exceed three persons per square meter.
Although there are no regulations governing the distance between underground parking lots and stairs, the distance should not exceed 60m to ensure safety, a standard referenced from the design of the Osaka Dome.
Referring to Farglory chairman Chao Teng-hsiung’s (趙藤雄) remark that he would “bet [his] life on the Taipei Dome’s safety,” Lin said that the complex’s safety issues cannot be solved by a spat.
“A person swearing on his life does not make the Taipei Dome the ‘safest dome in the world,’” as Farglory has claimed, Lin said.
Farglory chairman Jacky Yang (楊舜欽) criticized the city government for reducing the capacity of the Taipei Dome, saying that the move was no different from “haggling.”
Yang said that the standards were designed by three retired Japanese consultants and that they lack a scientific basis.
The city government’s safety standards are unreasonable, as it is impossible for all five buildings in the complex to reach capacity at the same time, Yang said.
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