Abstract: To study the effect of pedestrian convergence and counterflow movements on the evacuation efficiency in the highChangsha rise buildings under different stair designs，a simulation model was established using Pathfinder and three types of staircase designs were considered: no transition platform，one transition platform，and two transition platforms，as well as the pedestrian movement characteristics in three evacuation modes: unidirectional without convergence，unidirectional with convergence，and bidirectional with counterflow. The following conclusions were drawn: significant differences exist in the evacuation processes under different staircase designs; Factors determining evacuation time in the model are primarily evacuation distance and the degree of congestion; under conditions without convergence，the evacuation efficiency decreases with the increasing of evacuation distance，while under converged conditions，the evacuation distance and degree of congestion interact，and the stairwell model has the best evacuation performance with one transition platform; The presence of counterflow pedestrians reduces the overall evacuation efficiency; The impact of an increase in counterflow pedestrians on overall evacuation time varies with different staircase types.

Key words: highChangsha rise buildings, pedestrian evacuation, simulation, Pathfinder