Responsive Architecture in Practice: BIM/DT/AI/IoT for Dynamic Fire Evacuation—A Comparative Case Study Analysis

This study presents a comparative analysis of six DFS implementations representing different maturity levels and investigates the systemic gap between technological capabilities and regulatory approaches. A structured narrative review with case-based analysis was conducted using the Scopus database (2015–2026) with six targeted queries. The case selection followed the PICo protocol. An original ten-criterion DFS maturity assessment rubric—grounded in the Technology Readiness Level (TRL), Integration Readiness Level (IRL), and Digital Twin Maturity Model frameworks—was applied to all six cases. Inter-rater validation yielded substantial agreement (κw = 0.797; unweighted κ = 0.674 [95% CI: 0.509, 0.839]). The results indicate a clear maturity gradient (Dimension X: 4–9 points; Dimension Y: 2–8 points). Benefits reported in the analysed primary studies include up to a 55 s reduction in evacuation time, a 72% improvement compared with static signage, and a 34-percentage-point increase in evacuation success rate under simulation-based conditions. Five normative recommendations are proposed to address the structural regulatory gap between current prescriptive frameworks and DFS deployment in Poland and the EU. This study argues that prescriptive rules should remain the baseline, whereas complex facilities may adopt performance-based DFS solutions, provided that equivalence to conventional protection levels is rigorously demonstrated. From a sustainability perspective, the study frames DFS as a dynamic safety layer that supports occupant protection, operational resilience, and lifecycle adaptability in complex buildings exposed to uncertain fire and crowd conditions.