Background and Objective: In the design of buildings with complex functions and diverse spaces, designers typically rely on existing standards to ensure the safety of occupants during emergencies. Although the primary goal of these standards is the complete evacuation of the population to preserve human life, these regulations do not necessarily align with the various behaviors of occupants, their interactions with the physical environment, and effective evacuation management strategies. In this context, the following questions arise: Do behaviors stemming from social dependencies affect the duration of evacuation? To what extent does fear and panic among the population influence the time required for complete evacuation in emergency situations? What is the impact of phased evacuation on emergency evacuation time? The aim of this research is to evaluate and explain the components affecting emergency evacuation time and to provide forward-looking simulations of the emergency evacuation process from crowded spaces, particularly religious spaces, to assist decision-makers in the design and operational phases.
Method: The research method is applied in nature and descriptive-analytical in type, with explanatory results. In this paper, by developing the E&E framework and utilizing an agent-based approach for simulating emergency evacuations based on plausible scenarios, the study evaluates and explains the components affecting the duration of emergency evacuations in emergency situations.
Findings: The processes undertaken and the simulations conducted indicate that components such as social dependency, panic, and phased evacuation significantly impact the total evacuation time.
Conclusion: By identifying and consciously managing the effective and potential components from the design phase to the operational phase, it is possible to reduce the evacuation time of the population, thereby minimizing injuries and human casualties during emergencies.