Steel Buildings in Europe

Part 6: Fire Engineering 6 - 10 2.3.2 Performance-based approach A performance-based fire design procedure should be clearly documented so that the philosophy and assumptions can be clearly understood by a third party. The procedure may include the following main steps:  Review the architectural design of the building  Establish fire safety objectives  Identify fire hazards and possible consequences  Establish possible fire safety strategies  Identify acceptance criteria and methods of analysis  Establish fire scenarios for analysis. Review of architectural design This review should aim to identify any architectural or client requirements that may be significant in the development of a fire safety solution, for example:  The future use of the building and the anticipated building contents, as well as the anticipated permanent, variable and thermal actions  The type of structure and building layout  The presence of smoke ventilation systems or sprinkler systems  The characteristics of the buildings occupants, the number of people likely to be in the building and their distribution  The type of fire detection and alarm system  The degree of building management throughout the life of the building (for example, maintaining active fire safety measures or ensuring that combustible materials are not allowed to accumulate in vulnerable areas). Fire safety objectives At an early stage of the design process, the fire safety objectives should be clearly identified. This process will be undertaken ideally in consultation with the client, regulatory authority and other stakeholders. The main fire safety objectives that may be addressed are life safety, control of financial loss and environmental protection. Life safety objectives are already set out in prescriptive regulations, but should include provisions to ensure that the building occupants can evacuate the building in reasonable safety, that fire-fighters can operate in reasonable safety and that collapse does not endanger people who are likely to be near the building. The effects of fire on the continuing viability of a business can be substantial and consideration should be given to minimising damage to the structure and fabric of the building, the building contents, the on-going business viability and the corporate image. The level of precautions that are deemed necessary in a particular building will depend on the size and nature of the business undertaken in it. In some cases, it may be easy to relocate the business to