TCVN 6161:1996

VIETNAM STANDARDS TCVN 6161:1996

Fire protection – Market and Supermarket - Design requirements

1 Scope of application

This Standard specifies basic requirements for fire fighting and protection when
designing for new construction, renovation or enlargement of solidly-built markets, semi-
solidly-built markets and trading centers.

2. Extracted standards

TCVN 2622:1978 Fire fighting and protection for houses and buildings – Design
requirements

TCVN 6160:1996 Fire fighting and protection – High-rise buildings – Design

requirements.

TCVN 5738:1993 Fire alarm system – Technical requirements

TCVN 5760:1993 Fire-fighting system – General requirements for design, installation

and utilization

TCVN 5717: 1993 Lightning protection rods

TCVN 4756: 1989 Norms of electric equipment grounding and airing.

3 Terminology and definitions

3.1 Total shop area means the areas of business shops, stores.

3.2 Business area means total shop area and the areas of the rooms engaged in business.

3.3 Market is a place where concentrates several shops, stores, commodities and people
buying, selling and bartering.

3.4 Trading center means an area where trading, commercial activities and business
transactions take place, with multiform services.

4 Market classification

4.1 Classification based on building architecture

a) solidly-built market means fixed market designed and constructed with fire-rates
of I and II

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b) semi solidly-built means fixed market where houses, shops and other works
therein are designed and constructed with fire-rate of III.

c) temporary market means unstable market where tents, kiosks located therein are
built with fire-rates of IV, V.

Note: Fire-rate of houses and construction works are specified in Table 1

Table 1

Fire-resistant limit, minutes

Building Supporting
Floor plate Floor plate
fire- wall column, Landing, Non
Non and other and other
lift chamber stairs and supporting
resistant wall, fire other lift
supporting
inner wall
floor roof
rate outer wall supporting supporting
protection components (partition)
components components
wall
I 150 60 30 30 60 30

II 120 60 15 15 45 15

III 120 60 15 15 45 N/A

IV 30 15 15 15 15 N/A

V Not stipulated

4.2 Classification based on sizes and number of business owners

a) Class-1 market is a market where there are more than 500 business-registered
owners or where having total area of stalls over 2000m2.

b) Class-2 market is a market having from 300 to 500 business registered owners or
having a total area of stalls from 1200m2 to 2000m2.

c) Class-3 market is a market having less than 300 business-registered owners or

having a total area of stalls less than 1200m2.

5. General requirements

5.1 When designing fire fighting and protection system for markets and trading centers,
this Standard and other relevant norms shall be applied.

5.2 When locating markets and trading centers in high-rise buildings or houses with
other using purposes, this Standard and TCVN 6160:1996 shall be complied.

5.3 Designing fire-fighting and protection system for newly-built, renovated or

enlarged markets and trading centers shall be based on the master plan of the whole
area or zone and closely combined to the fire-fighting and protection design
solution of the next buildings (access arrangement, fire-fighting water supply
system, fire alarm communication, etc.)
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5.4 Market and trading center design shall obtain approval for fire-fighting and
protection design and equipment from the authority.

6 Plan arrangement

6.1 Market and trading center may be built in the form of a separate house or several
houses or located from ground floor to third floor of a multi-floor building with
different using purposes such as residence, hotel, administration buildings, etc.

Note:

1) It is not allowed to locate market and trading center in a two-floor building.

2) It is not required to change the structure of a market and trading center which occupies
the whole area of one floor of a building having more than 5 floors with other using
purposes.

3) It is not allowed to locate a market and trading center doing the business of flammable,
explosive and noxious commodities in residential houses/buildings.

6.2 Market and trading center shall be divided into the following sections;

6.2.1 Business section, which includes stalls, sitting-floors, stands, commodity

delivering and receiving places, refreshment places, eating places, discotheques,
goods display compartments and customer-serving rooms.

6.2.2 Auxiliary section including ordered commodity packaging storehouse, equipment

repair rooms, advertisement rooms.

6.2.3 Administration section and entertainment section including directorial board

office, management board office, correspondence bureau, accounting office,
canteen, staff office, tradition room, fire protection room, health care room, etc.

6.2.4 Technical section including ventilation chambers, lift chambers, control panels,
telephone switchboards, water pump stations for daily activities, fire-fighting.

6.3 When arranging section, room of market, trading center in a high-rise building, the
following requirements shall be complied:

a) commodity, flammable materials storehouses shall be located in upper floors, not

close to other similar storehouses in lower floors.

b) it is not allowed to design exit/entrance to administration section, auxiliary

rooms, technical section passing through business section.

c) separate passages shall be designed for storehouses and commodity areas.

6.4 For a market and trading center, it is required to design separate passages and stairs
for customers and staff/workers.
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Ways in and out and stairs for staff/workers shall be so designed that when necessary
they can be used as emergency exits for customers in business section.

6.5 The main staircase from floor 1 to floor 2 of a market and trading center having fire-
rates of I and II is allowed to be designed open, while for other staircases it shall be
designed within stair chamber.

For market and trading center having total area over 3600m2, it is allowed to install
escalator.

6.6 The market and trading centers without escalator shall only be allowed to arrange
stalls/stands from floor 2 downwards. If an escalator is designed to be installed, it is
permitted to situate stalls/stands from floor 3 upwards for one year when awaiting for
an escalator to be installed from the time the market and trading center are put into
operation.

6.7 Width of passage in business section is stipulated in Table 2

Table 2

Minimum width of passage

Type of passage
Market/trading Market/trading
center in cities center in towns
1. Main passage in business section:
- 2.8 2.0
Market, trading center with total stall area
up to 90m2
- 3.6 2.8
Market, trading center with total stall area
over 90m2
- 2.8 2.0
There is no buffer room from stalls/stands to
door.
- 4.2 3.4
There is buffer room from stalls/stands to
door.

2. Other passages
-
Between two rows of stalls/stands selling 1.8 1.8
materials, ready-made clothes
-
Between two rows of stalls/stands selling 1.2 1.2
shoes/sandals
-
Between two rows of other parallel 1.2 1.2
stands/stalls

Note: The distance between 2 main passages in business section shall be 20m.

7 Fire protection requirements

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TCVN 6161:1996
7.1 Design for market and trading center shall conform to the requirements for fire
protection safety distance, materials and fire resistant limits of each components
stated in TCVN 2622:1978

7.2 The number of building floor, maximum area between two fireproof walls of a
market and trading center shall be subject to fire-rate, as stipulated in Table 3.

Table 3

Fire-rate of marker Number of floor allowed, floor Max. area between 2

and trading center fireproof walls, m2
I,II Not limited, but building height shall not
exceed that stated in TCVN 6160:1996 2200

III 2 1800

IV 1 1400

V 1 500

Note: The maximum area between two fireproof walls is allowed to increase 100% once such
buildings are equipped with automatic fire-fighting system.

7.3 The fireproof walls shall be built from foundation or foundation beam, via other
structures up to the top of market and trading center height if the building roof is
made of non-flammable materials, and 0.6m higher than the roof if the roof is made
of inflammable materials. In case the fireproof is located along the building, it is
required to be 0.6m higher than the roof, whatever materials the roof is made of.
Fireproof walls shall be made of non-flammable materials with minimum fire
resistant limit of 150 minutes.

7.4 In markets and trading centers with fire-rates of III, IV and V, the fire protection
distance shall have minimum width of 6m and divide the roof wall into separate
areas.

The gable wall of fire-protection distance shall arise at least 0.6m from the roof. In
the fire-protection space, walls shall be of tight types, columns shall have minimum
fire-resistant limit of 150 minutes. The enclosing structures of fire-protection space
shall be made of non-flammable materials with minimum fire resistant limit of 60
minutes. Doors shall have minimum fire resistant limit of 45 minutes.

7.5 Warehouse shall be designed separately with dividing walls made of non-flammable
materials, with minimum fire resistant limit of 45 minutes to maintain flammable
commodities and materials.

7.6 Door of warehouses, door of commodity storerooms shall be designed in two-leaf

type with width not less than 1.3m and height not less than 2.3m, made of non-
flammable materials having minimum fire-resistant limit of 45 minutes.

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TCVN 6161:1996
7.7 Service pipes (water supply, drainage, sanitary, etc.) of a market and trading center
shall have fire-rates of I, II and be made of non-flammable materials.

7.8 The floor structure of a market and trading center shall not be empty. It is not
allowed to build with asphalt concrete. Floor of toilet and bathroom shall be at least
2cm lower than that of the next room.

7.9 Design for other fireproof components for market and trading center shall conform to
the regulations stated in TCVN 2622:1978.

8 Fire escape

8.1 Design for market and trading center shall ensure emergency exit once on fire and
make favorable conditions for the performance of the fire brigade.

Number of emergency exits shall not be less than 2 and shall be located in different
places.

8.2 The distance from the furthest door of any room/compartment (except for bathroom,
toilet and warehouse) to the closest exit is stated in Table 4.

Table 4

Allowed furthest distance, m

Fire rate From room/compartment located From room/compartment with
between two exits exits to a closed corridor
I and II 40 25
III 30 15
IV 25 12
V 20 10

8.3 The number of people in business section, according to standard, shall be 1.35m 2 of
floor area/01 person. Total width of passage, fire escape shall include those of main
stairs, lift chamber internal stairs and external stairs.

Total width of exit doors, flight of stairs or doors, passages on exit way shall be
calculated based on the number of people in the most crowded floor (excluding floor
1) and as stipulated as follows:

a) Floor 2: 1meter/125 people

b) Floor 3 and above: 1meter/100 people

Note: Width of exits when calculated can be small but shall not be less than that
stated in Table 5.

8.4 The emergency staircase from business section to outside shall not go through the
basement.

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TCVN 6161:1996
8.5 The width of a specialized flight of stairs shall not be less than 1.15m. Stair gradient
shall be 1:2.

8.6 Width of passages, corridors, doors and stair flights on emergency exit shall be as
stated in Table 5
Table 5

Width, m
Type of passage
Minimum Maximum

Passage 1 As calculated
Corridor 1.4 As calculated
Door 0.8 2.4
Flight of stairs 1.05 2.4

Note:

1) For type of market and trading center having a total area of stands/stalls equal of larger
than 90m2, customers’ exits/entrances shall have a minimum width of 0.9m.

2) The number of stairs of each stair flight shall neither be less than 3 nor more than 18.

8.7 It is not permitted to use corkscrew staircases and fan-shaped staircases as exits.

8.8 It is not allowed to design sliding doors, turning doors on exit way. Doors on the
emergency exit shall be made open outside or along the exit with automatic-closing
device.

Note: Doors to get out of rooms where permanently accommodate not over 15 people and
doors for getting out of a warehouse having an area less than 200m 2 and toilet doors are
allowed to be designed to open inside.

8.9 The height of doors or passages on emergency exit shall not be less than 2m. For
basement and wall-foot floors, it shall not be less than 1.9m. For roof cellar, it shall
not be less than 1.5m.

8.10 Floor height of a market and trading center shall not be lower than 3.3m; if the
business section has a total area of stands/stalls equal to or larger than 300m 2, then
the height shall not be less than 4.2m.

The height of market and trading center cellar and mezzanine shall not be less than
2.7m. The minimum height from floor to the lower level of a protruding component
shall not be less than 2.4m.

8.11 It is allowed to use exterior fire staircases as the second emergency exit. The
exterior staircase for escape shall have a minimum width of 0.7m, maximum gradient
of 60o against horizontal surface with handrails of 0.8m high.

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TCVN 6161:1996

9 Electrical and lighting equipment

9.1 The electrical equipment to be installed in a market and trading center shall ensure
that:
-
the power system supplied for fire-fighting pump, break-down lighting system
once on fire shall be separate from other electrical system.
-
if allowed, the power supply source should be taken from two separate electrical
networks (excluding generator source)

9.2 The power source supplied for daily activities, security and emergency case lighting
system, automatic fire alarm and fire fighting shall be separated for the main control
panel of the market and trading center. It shall be ensured that once the power supply
source for daily activities/lighting system is shut down, one of the above-said power
sources shall not be affected.

9.3 Break-down lighting system once on fire shall be designed and installed in business
section, on the passage and way in/out of a market and trading center having total
area of stalls/stands from 90m2 or more.

Break-down lighting system once on fire shall be installed along the corridor and
staircase of administration section and other living activity section of the market and
trading center.

For a market and trading center building having total area of stands/stalls over
180m2, it is required to install ‘LỐI RA – EXIT” indicator light on way in and out
and emergency exit of such system, connected to the break-down lighting network.

9.4 In business section, it should be designed night-time security lighting system on the
passages and emergency exits. Once on fire, these shall be used as breakdown
lighting system.

9.5 Local lighting system of stalls/shop windows shall be made of florescent lights and
designed as a separate group from the main control panel for living activity power
network.

9.6 The power supply source for computer, money-counting machine, drier, electrical
equipment testing power shall be designed as a separate group from the main control
panel for living activity power network.

9.7 The main control panel of a market and trading center, the living activity control
panel and group control panel shall be installed outside the business section. In case
it is impossible to install outside the business section, it is permitted to install at the
end of the business section or in the final compartment of business section. The
control panel shall be installed in a box made of non-flammable materials with
symbol printed on the box door.

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9.8 The lighting system control of stands/stalls in business section shall be made
according to centrally-controlled method and via the group control panels to the
receiver then to the stands/stalls.

Switches, breakers of power system for warehouses, rooms or other chambers shall
be located outside, mounted on non-flammable walls or in column-mounted boxes.

9.9 No power sockets are allowed to be installed in warehouses or commodity storing

places.

9.10 When designing lighting system with bulbs, such bulbs shall be designed with
lampshade. The lampshade shall be made of non-flammable materials. It shall be
ensured that the distance from the lights to the flammable materials shall not be less
than 0.5m. Florescent lamps shall be equipped with chutes and covers.

9.11 The continuously-consumed power current of insulated conductors and electrical

cables shall not go beyond the standardized current of conductors.

9.12 The connections or branches of electrical conductors/cables shall ensure the same
power conductivity standard as a continuous conductor/electric cable and shall not be
affected by any external forces.

9.13 It is not allowed to place in the same pipe, box or chute the living activity power
network, breakdown network and/or automatic fire-fighting alarm system.

9.14 When putting conductors or electric cables through a foundation, wall, ceiling or
floor, they shall be placed in steel pipe or pipes with similar hardness. The internal
diameter shall be of 1.5 times the outer diameter of conductors or electric cables.

9.15 The electric conduit shall conform to using purpose and architectural feature of
market and trading center as well as other fire-fighting and protection technical
requirements as stipulated in Table 6.

Table 6

Form and method of placing electric conduit on surfaces

and details
Conductor, electric cable
made of non-flammable
made of flammable materials
materials
A. Open-placed conduits
Conductor with or without
shield, electric cable with
On clamps, supports Direct
shield made of non-flammable
materials.
Conductor with shield made of
Direct
non-flammable materials
Conductor with or without
In pipe and box made of non- In pipe and box made of shield, electric cable with
flammable materials non-flammable materials shield made of non-flammable
materials.
B. Closed placing conduits
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TCVN 6161:1996
With lining made of non-
flammable materials, plastered
with mortar or tightly protected
all sides with non-flammable
materials (1)
Direct
In pipe and box made of non-
flammable materials, with non-
flammable materials used as
lining, plastered with mortar (2)
Conductor with or without
shield, electric cable with
Direct
shield made of flammable
materials
Same as above but with non-
Direct
flammable materials
In pipe and box made of
Conductor without shield,
flammable materials cast
electric cable with shield made
integral, in grooves.., in
of flammable and non-
tightly-covered non-
flammable materials.
flammable materials

Note:

1) The lining made of non-flammable materials with minimum thickness of 10 mm

2) The pipe shall be plastered tightly with mortar or covered with fiber cement, with minimum
thickness of 10 mm

3) The pipe (box0 cover made of non-flammable materials can be either fiber cement mortar or
concrete with minimum thickness of 10mm.

9.16 Insulated conductors without shield, placed open and directly on the surfaces of
pulley, support china, clamp, hung below tensed wire, on frame, in chute, etc. shall
be made as follows:

a) when the voltage is higher than 42V in little dangerous rooms and when the
voltage is equal to or less than 42V in any room, it shall be placed at a minimum
height of 2m against floor surface.

b) when the voltage is higher than 42V in dangerous and very dangerous rooms, it
shall be placed at a minimum height of 2.5 m against floor surface.

Note:- When the conductor is going down to light contact, electric plugs or other electric
consuming devices mounted on wall, the above requirements will not necessarily be
satisfied.

9.17 When electric cables are placed open along the ceiling, wall or other structures of
construction works, it shall be tightly installed with clamps in the distances stated in
Table 7.

Table 7

Allowable max. distance, m

Conductor-placing Conductor cross section, mm2
method 95 or
Up to 2.5 4 6 10 16 to 25 35 to 70
more
1. On pulley, clamp 0.80 0.80 0.80 0.80 1.0 1.2 1.2
2. On insulator mounted on
1 2 2 2 2.5 3 6
wall and ceiling.
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TCVN 6161:1996
3. On insulator mounted on
wall belonging to 2 2 2 2 2 2 2
exterior conductor
4. On insulator placed at
beam, column or wall
-
with copper core 6 12
-
with aluminum core 6 6 12

9.18 When placing conductor, electric cable passing pipes in pre-cast building structures
or integral concrete structures, pipe connection shall be made of thread or welding.

9.19 It is not allowed to place conductor, electric cable without protection shield directly
in or under wall, ceiling-plastering mortar where it is possible to nail or punch.

9.20 It is not allowed to embed a conductor in a supporting wall (horizontal) when the
depth of burying ditch is higher than 1/3 of wall thickness. It is not permitted to
place directly inside or under the mortar types of conductor, since the insulator as
well as protection shield may get damaged by this mortar layer.

9.21 Conductor, electric cable which go through ceiling made of flammable materials to
the roof-adjacent wall shall be put through non-flammable insulation pipes.

9.22 Electric wire terminals passing through wall shall be put through non-flammable
insulation pipes and be structured to prevent water stagnancy or from flowing into
the building, or it may go through the roof but shall be put in steel pipes and be
ensured that the distance from the wire-supporting insulator of the inlet to the roof
shall not be less than 2.75m. For stalls, kiosks of which there is no frequenter on the
roof, the distance from the turning point to the roof shall not be less than 0.5m.

9.23 The distance between conductors themselves shall not be less than 100mm when
the wire-fixing distance is up to 6m, and shall not be less than 150mm when the
wire-fixing is more than 6m.

The distance between conductor-fixing points shall be as stated in Table 7

The distance from conductor to wall and such structures shall not be less than
50mm.

9.24 Market and trading center shall be designed with lightning protection system. The
lightning protection system shall be designed conforming to current regulations and
TCVN 5717:1993 and TCVN 4576:1989.

10 Ventilation, smoke exhaustion

10.1 All markets and trading centers shall be designed with ventilation and smoke
exhaustion systems. The ventilation system shall be made of non-flammable
materials, hardly flammable or inflammable subject to fire, explosion rates of the

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area where the system is installed and the waste gas discharges through the system.
The smoke exhaustion system shall be made of non-flammable materials.

10.2 The ventilation system shall be made of non-flammable materials in the places
where flammable or explosive gases, liquids or powders are used or stored.

In other cases, the ventilation system may be made of hardly flammable materials.

10.3 It is not permitted to connect to the common ventilation system those ventilation
systems conducting gas which is easy to condense, conduct dust and other
substances which may create poisonous, flammable or explosive mixtures due to
mechanical, physical or chemical causes.

10.4 It is required to design ventilation system for the area and compartments selling
chemicals, textiles or smelly substances. When designing, ventilation rate shall be
ensured more than 20m3/hour/person.

10.5 A ventilation system shall be designed separately from that of the building for the
market and trading center located from floor 1 to floor 3 of an apartment building or
buildings with other using purposes.

10.6 It is required to install a separate smoke exhaustion system going outside for the
insulated rooms of market and trading center where storing flammable materials.

The smoke exhaustion system shall be so designed that the pressure-balancing

surface in the market and trading center shall not be less than 1.5m.

10.7 When designing and installing technical equipment, the requirements stipulated in
current standards for each equipment category shall be complied with.

11 Fire alarm and fighting

11.1 A market and trading center classified as solid and semi-solid type shall be
equipped with automatic fire alarm system.

Requirements for automatic fire alarm system shall conform to TCVN 5738:193.
For a market and trading center beyond the above regulation, there shall be fire
alarm notice or other fire alarm regulations.

11.2 Market and trading center shall be designed with fire-fighting water supply system
inside and outside of the building. Design of internal and external fire-fighting
water supply system shall conform to TCVN 2622:1995, and local fire-fighting
facilities shall also be equipped.

11.3 Around a market and trading center with height of 10m or more, measured from
the pavement to the lower edge of the eaves, it is required to locate an exterior fixed
iron fire-fighting ladder at every 150m interval.

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11.4 For a market and trading center with business area over 2000m2 and more than 500
business owners or more than 3 floors (not depending upon business area), it is
required to install sprinkler systems or drencher systems.

Note: For a market and trading center with business area under 300m 2 and 75 business
owners, it is not required to design interior water fire-fighting system.

11.5 When designing and constructing automatic water fire-fighting system for a market
and trading center, it is required to conform to the regulations stated in TCVN
5760:1993 and other technical documents issued by the authorities.

11.6 The exterior fire-fighting water output taken from a fire-fighting hydrant and
calculated for a fire occurred in a market and trading center building is stipulated in
Table 8.

Table 8

Water output calculated for a fire, l/s

Fire resistant Total area of stalls/stands, m2 (number of business owners)
rate
More than
540 (136) 900 (225) 1800 (450) 2000 (500)
4000 (1000)
I and II 5 5 10 10 15
III 5 10 15 20 25
IV and V 10 15 20 30 35

9.7 The number of fires occurred at the same time, calculated for water supply system of
a market and trading center building with total area of stands/stalls equal to or less
than 8000m2 or under 2000 business owners shall be 1 (fire). If total area of
stalls/stands is more than 8000m2 or there are more than 2000 business owners, it
shall be 2 (fires).

_______________

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