Graph Representation for Emergency Egress Code Analysis

Code checking for emergency egress has been studied significantly which led to the continuous advancement and development of automatic code checkers. Yet, these checkers were only able to identify whether the building meets the code limitations or not and, in some cases, were able to take a step further and identify problem areas (if any). This paper presents a novel approach for code checking and analysis using graph theory. It maps floor plans into a simple directed acyclic Floor Plan Elemental Graph Data Model (EGDM). The Floor Plan EGDM, dual-graph representation, undergoes graph distance analyses in order to perform the first level of code checking, where egress paths are identified and examined against IBC emergency egress code limitations. The benefit of such a graph representation is not limited to performing traditional code checking, but further extends to include an innovative analysis of the floor plans to perform post-code checking. Post-code checking utilizes graph measures and search techniques on buildings that meet the code in order to identify areas for improvement and highlight critical areas where problems can happen. It is, also, performed on non-compliant buildings in order to highlight the problem areas and, hence, help the designer in solving these problems.