Agent-based simulation of building evacuation: Combining human behavior with predictable spatial accessibility in a fire emergency

• An evacuation model combining alterable accessibility and human awareness.
• The agent awareness of accessibility is reflected by both spatial and event knowledge.
• The alterable accessibility is represented by a semantic model and is timely updated.
• The spatial change has a negative effect when detouring occurs due to a lack of knowledge.
• The spatial change has a positive effect when the exit utilization is balanced.

The building environment and evacuation behavior are decisive factors for building evacuation performance. Shifting toward the use of agent-based models, many current studies have considered the heterogeneous evacuation behavior resulting from an individualized perception of the building environment, but few studies have incorporated the evacuees’ awareness of the predictable change in the spatial accessibility by activated fire safety facilities during emergency scenarios. To investigate the specific influence of such spatial change on the evacuation performance, this study presents an agent-based building evacuation model in which the evacuee’s knowledge, including both the spatial knowledge of the stationary environment during a normal situation and the event knowledge of the predictable spatial change for fire-fighting purposes, is considered. In addition, a semantic representation of building environment is developed to represent the alterable connectivity structure when considering the fire safety facilities. Using the proposed model, a series of evacuation simulations have been conducted for groups of evacuees with different knowledge levels during three specific fire scenarios. The simulation results suggest that the proposed model can evaluate the potential influence of the spatial change on the evacuation efficiency, which is dependent on the evacuees’ knowledge level and the location of the fire safety facilities. The model, although a prototype at this stage, will facilitate more realistic evacuation simulation in fire emergency scenarios and will support building evacuation management.