What does fire safety design include?
Fire safety design defines the measures through which a building protects people, property and structural elements in the event of fire. It combines architectural, structural and engineering decisions related to evacuation, fire resistance, limitation of fire and smoke spread, access for firefighting vehicles and the operation of active fire protection systems.
IPA - Architecture and more develops fire safety design solutions for residential, public, office, commercial, industrial, logistics and mixed-use buildings. The design is adapted to the building function, occupancy, movement of people, fire load, room categories, structural system, materials and applicable regulatory requirements.
The scope may include analysis of evacuation routes, fire compartments, fire resistance requirements, structural fire protection solutions, smoke extraction, access for firefighting vehicles and coordination with active fire protection systems.
A fire scenario is developed to describe the sequence of operation of the different systems in the event of fire, including fire alarm systems, automatic fire suppression, smoke extraction, emergency lighting, door control, elevators, ventilation and other technical elements. This allows the different parts of the project to be coordinated within a single fire safety logic.
Fire safety design requires close coordination with architectural layout, structural design, HVAC systems, electrical installations, water and sewage installations and automatic fire suppression systems. The goal is to create a design that is compliant with regulations, technically feasible and reliable both during approval and during the real operation of the building.
