Sustainable Construction - Building & Construction Authority

A Guide Fire on Protection Fire Protection and Performance-based and Performance-based Fire Engineering Fire Engineering
Are fire-safety requirements more stringent for steel buildings than concrete
buildings?
The fi re-safety requirements are similar for both types of buildings. The only difference is the method
of protection which depends on whether the building is constructed using steel or concrete.
Fire resistance is a property of a particular building element which measures its ability to resist the
spread of fire through the material characteristics of
• stability (resistance to collapse or excessive deflection);
• integrity (resistance to passage of flames and hot gases); and
• insulation (resistance to excessive temperature rise on exposed face).
Usually, fi re resistance of a building element is expressed in terms of the minimum period of time
during which the building element would function satisfactorily while subject to a standard fi re test,
measured in BS 476: part 20 to 23.
It is the onus of the designer to accord additional and appropriate level of fi re protection to materials
used in the building which do not meet the required rating of fi re resistance.
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