A BIM-Based Multi-Criteria Spatial Framework for Assessing Fire Risks in Indoor Environments

Building fires are considered major disasters because of their significant effects on people, property, and the environment. This understanding has led to increased attention on developing preventive measures, particularly through the creation of effective methods for assessing fire risk. However, the effectiveness of these methods relies heavily on detailed physical and functional information of the building and data-driven decision-making. Building Information Modeling (BIM) has proven effective in representing structures, even in three dimensions. When integrated with Geographic Information Systems (GIS), it enhances spatial intelligence, leading to improved decision-making through robust multi-criteria approaches. Hence, this study develops a framework to assess fire risk in an indoor environment that deploys a BIM-based GIS and Multi-Criteria Decision-Making; this is specifically known as Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS). The developed framework consists of four steps: identifying fire risk parameters, calculating weights, conducting spatial fire risk assessments, and visualizing the results, where the developed concepts are tested and validated. According to the significant findings, the developed framework estimates that 18% of building rooms are at moderate risk, while the compared model identifies only 1%. This considerable difference could potentially arise from the detailed data structure of BIM and the spatial insights gained from GIS. By implementing the designed framework, key fire risk factors can be identified in three dimensions, accompanied by a comprehensive quantitative evaluation platform for fire risks within indoor environments.