Resilience is a Goal
Competency in the application of Total Fire Engineering
Adam Monaghan, BSc (Hons) CEng MIFireE
1
Agenda
• Fire safety goals
• Prescriptive codes vs. construction revolution
• Is prescriptive design always appropriate?
• Total Fire Engineering
• Competency
• BIM
• Closing remarks
Fire safety goals
As a minimum, the fire strategy must comply with the legal
requirements:
Life Safety Goals to
comply with the
regulations
• Part B of the Building Regulations 2013
• Construction Design and Management Regulations 2007
(CDM)
• Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 (RRO)
So what happens when things go wrong...
So what happens when things go wrong...
• These fires occurred in code compliant buildings
• The amount of damage was avoidable through simple
design changes
Were the goals
properly
considered?
• Built environment typically focusses on life safety
• Should additional goals have been considered?
• How can additional goals be considered?
Goals beyond life safety
Social
Goal
Social
People
Life safety
Quality of Asset
Quality of space
Quality of Operation
Functionality of space
Protection of Asset
Continuity of asset
Protection of Operation
Continuity of
function
Economic
Goal
Social
People
Life safety
Quality of Asset
Quality of space
Environmental
Functionality of space
Quality of Operation
Economic
Cost and value of asset
Operational costs
Protection of Asset
Continuity of asset
Property Protection
Protection of Operation
Continuity of
function
Business Continuity
Total Cost = Cost of Prevention + Cost of Protection
Environmental
Goal
Social
Economic
Environmental
People
Life safety
Quality of Asset
Quality of space
Cost and value of asset
Construction impact
Quality of Operation
Functionality of space
Operational costs
Operational impact
Protection of Asset
Environmental continuity
of asset
Property Protection
Prevention of fire damage
to the environment
Protection of Operation
Continuity of
function
Business Continuity
Environmental
Total Cost = Cost of Prevention + Cost of Protection
+ Cost of Occurrence
Goal based engineering does consider resilience
Designers have to know about it though
Leeds Arena –
partial roof
protection to
improve the
structural robustness
of the arena &
change of facade to
omit combustible
materials and reduce
the overall risk
Evolution of prescriptive codes
History of Fire Regulations
1666
1861
1911
1969
1973
1974
1979
1981
1985
1987
1992
1996
2004
2007
2009
2009
Great Fire of London
- fire spread between buildings
Tooley Street, London
– compartment sizes
Empire Palace Theatre
- escape times
Rose and Crown Hotel
- fire certification, new vs existing
Summerland, Isle of Man
- surface spread of flame
Fairfield Old Persons’ Home - cavity barriers
Woolworths, Manchester
- combustible furniture
Stardust Disco, Dublin
- management
So Football
what happens
when-things
go wrong...
Bradford City
Ground
occupant
response
Kings Cross Underground
- combustibles underground
Windsor Castle
- fire action plan
Channel Tunnel
– management
Rosepark care home, Glasgow – vulnerable occupants
School fires leading to losses – Sprinklers in BB100
Lakanal House, Camberwell – High rise residential fire
Carisbrooke Gardens, Peckham – Timber framed buildings
Cityscapes Over 40 Years
London
London
Hong Kong
So what happens when things go wrong...
Dubai
Dubai
Contemporary Buildings
London
So what happens when things go wrong...
Perceptions – a
design is either
prescriptive or fire
engineered?
OR
OR
Perceptions – a
design is either
prescriptive or fire
engineered?
•
•
•
•
Simple
Conservative (safe)
Quick (low risk)
Easy to manage
•
•
•
•
Complex
Reducing safety
Design & Approvals Risk
Special management
OR
Perceptions – a
design is either
prescriptive or fire
engineered?
Its all fire engineering – competence
Code compliance is no safety guarantee
A prescriptive design is not
necessarily appropriate or safe
Ove Arup – Total Architecture
Great things can happen when “all relevant design
decisions have been considered together and have been
integrated into a whole by a well organised team.”
Ove Arup - Total Fire Engineering
Great things can happen when, "all relevant fire design,
construction and operation decisions have been
considered together and have been integrated into a
whole by a well organised team
Preparation
Use
Design
Fire
Strategy
Fire Engineering
goes beyond design
Construction
Specification
Transforming the
Tate Modern –
enabling signature
architecture from
conception through
to operations
Transforming the
Tate Modern –
enabling signature
architecture from
conception through
to operations
Total Fire Engineering = Good
Design, Construction & Operation
It properly considers resilience
goals
Competency in Total Fire
Engineering
• Design
Competency in fire
engineering
• Specification
• Construction
• Handover
Competency in design
Combustibility Fire Tests
London
So what happens when things go wrong...
Timber Performance
Charring Variance
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Wood species
density,
moisture content,
oxygen concentration,
thermal exposure,
grain orientation,
permeability,
sample size.
Charring rate parallel to grain is
approximately double the charring rate
perpendicular to the grain
• Structural loading
• We know little about whole frame action too
33
Facade Evolution
Facade Evolutions
• Significant changes in the facade design driven by thermal
performance, improved solar control, reducing facade build ups and
visual appearance
• Part L
• BREEAM (Building Research
Establishment Environmental Assessment
Methodology) – first published 1990
• Internationally most used method of
assessing, rating, and certifying the
sustainability of buildings
LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design) – first published in 1994
US rating system to design, construct and operate
and maintain sustainable buildings
Heron Tower –
enhanced structural
response to fire,
relative to a code
compliant building
Marsh’s Library
Dublin – fire
prevention not fire
protection
Competency in specification
Integrity of
Specification
Disconnect
Competency in construction
Construction –
fire batt / barrier
examples
Competency in handover
The detailed C&E is not
produced by a fire engineer
The Shard –
enabling signature
architecture from
conception through
to operations
The fire strategy may be
interpreted differently
Final C&E may not be what
the fire engineer intended
Examples: homing of lifts to
‘wrong’ floor; incorrect
evacuation cascading; smoke
control zoning; over-ride of
security systems;
inappropriate investigation
period
In 1990, Margaret Law wrote about fire engineering
competencies:
Competency in fire
engineering
• Education and training
• Knowledge of measurement and quantification
• Awareness
• Experience
• Research and development
• Intellectual toughness
What makes this list different from other aspects of
engineering? Nothing: Only that with fire safety
engineering we have to spell it out.
The role of BIM in Total Fire
Engineering
• BIM is a descriptive term for a digitally enhanced collaborative
design process across the built environment
• A BIM model is often referred to as a database with a 3D graphical
interface.
• All government projects need to use it from 2016
• Efficiency in construction
BIM – what is it?
Why are people
using it?
BIM and Total Fire
Better accessibility of fire
safety information in shared
model, e.g.:
• System zoning relevant for
successful commissioning
• Fire fighting access and
facilities
• Egress paths/distances
• Material lining / façade
requirements
• Fire rated walls / floors /
elements of structure
Clash detection for fire
protection systems, e.g.
• Sprinkler system
• Mechanical smoke
extract systems
Faster specialist fire safety
analyses
Better communication to
laypeople using 3D
visualisation
BSkyB Building 02
• Through clear
identification of fire safety
goals for resilience at
inception
• Through collaboration
during design stage by
sharing and exchanging
information
BIM – How can the
built environment
work with the
insurance industry
to harness those
opportunities?
Leicester Square Hotel
• Through quantifiable
incentives for more
resilient buildings
Closing Remarks
• Following prescription does not negate the
obligation for good design
• Fire engineering is about the whole process of
design, construction and operation
Messages
• Value goes beyond cost saving and applies to all
project from the simple to complex and iconic
• Appropriate competency must be applied
throughout
• Total fire engineering is the only way to include
resilience goals properly
• BIM helps