Comparative Study of Korean and Japanese Standards for Improvement of Domestic Natural Smoke Ventilation Standards

This study aims to identify issues in domestic natural smoke ventilation standards and derive improvements. The objective of this study is to analyze the corresponding standards in Japan, which has a legal framework similar to that of Korea, and to determine the differences between the Korean and Japanese standards for natural smoke ventilation. The natural smoke ventilation-related standards addressed in Japan's Building Standards Act are used for comparison. The criteria for comparison include the evolution of the natural smoke ventilation standards in Korea and Japan, installation targets, installation methods, and design and maintenance guidelines. Based on this comparison, the following conclusions are drawn. First, there exists a need to review the current standards regarding the installation targets for natural smoke ventilation. Second, there is a lack of clear guidelines regarding installation methods and materials and this should be addressed by specifying various installation methods and the use of noncombustible materials in the standards. Third, when designing a natural smoke ventilation system, the issues related to existing fire compartments must be considered and guidelines regarding the horizontal distance between installations must be introduced. Finally, for a systematic inspection and maintenance process, the items under regular inspection should be subdivided into relevant categories.