FOCUS
Best of both worlds Steven Morgan discusses how a strategic approach to fire engineering can meet duty of care, while still achieving the architect’s vision
A
BUILDING’s fire strategy could be complicated by the characteristics or complexity of the design. From
a fire safety design perspective, there may be a number of reasons why a building may require a more intricate approach, from the size of the building and number or type of occupants to the layout or surroundings of the property. Regardless of the challenges, every building needs to meet the required level of safety and comply with the standards and regulations. However, for many large or complex buildings, a strict application of Approved Document B (ADB) of the Building Regulations, or what is referred to as a ‘code compliant solution’, will not be possible. This is because the guidelines concerning elements such as travel distances and escape routes are based on the assumption that a set of standard solutions will be used. For example, the smoke control solution recommended in ADB is a natural ventilation system. This is relatively simple and cost effective to implement, but relies on the natural movement of air to extract the smoke.
24 OCTOBER 2018
www.frmjournal.com
The alternative to a completely code compliant solution is to apply a degree of fire engineering. This requires specialist fire engineers to look at the proposed plans for the building to identify where adjustments to the standard strategy can be made, to create a tailored plan. This allows the internal layout to be optimised and provides much greater design flexibility. Taking smoke ventilation as an example, selecting a mechanical smoke ventilation system (MSVS) with a greater capacity and efficiency can allow for longer travel distances and, in some instances, the removal of staircases other than those recommended in the regulations while maintaining or even improving safety. ADB also references these systems as part of an engineered approach, pointing to BS EN 12101-6 for guidance.
Building design
The internal layout and the design intention of the building will have an effect on how complex the fire requirements are. For example, increasing the amount of natural light within a building is progressively
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60
