Feature
Why Active Fire Protection Must Play A Role In Sustainability By Tom Roche, Secretary, Business Sprinkler Alliance
In a post Covid world, governments are being urged by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to implement deep building renovation and performance standards for newly constructed buildings into pandemic recovery packages. While reducing energy demand and carbon emissions through the use of natural construction materials, greater insulation and renewables will be the way forward, the aspect of fire resilience is often overlooked. It should not be. Losing the materials and building usability in a fire will result in valuable resources taken to rebuild them. A holistic approach that addresses sustainability and fire resilience will be needed to deliver these outcomes with active fire protection playing a key role in this resilience.
According to the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) report1 ,
when adding emissions from the building construction industry on top of operational emissions, the built environment sector accounted for 38 per cent of total global energy-related CO2 emissions. Pre-pandemic
building emissions from the built environment in 2019 were noted to reach their highest level.
Action is needed if we are to meet the aspiration of net zero carbon by 2050. The drive to preserve resources will mean a building will no longer follow the traditional linear model of ‘take, make, dispose’, but would be circular and built with reused materials and/or more organic (bio) materials. Buildings will also be able to be taken apart and deconstructed. Furthermore, a building will need to be flexible and adaptable to the short term whilst being built for the long term when considering its internal use. They will also need to be smart and connected, using sensors to determine efficiency operations and user experience.
We will need to consider a building more as a system and an asset where the value is in its efficiency, flexibility and
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re-usability. Protecting that reusability will therefore become key to a building’s sustained value. Losing the materials and the building usability in a fire will see it taken out of the cycle – the result will be a valuable resource taken to rebuild them and increasing lifecycle costs as was noted by a study by FM Global2
.
Therefore, a holistic approach that addresses sustainability and fire resilience will be needed to deliver these outcomes. This will mean a shift in regulatory thinking too.
The pursuit of green
For many years now the construction industry has started this journey pursuing sustainable and green construction. This has been supported by government regulations, incentives, certification schemes and the credits within them.
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