Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

CA3629: Building & Fire Safety Control -

Part 1: Fire protection in Buildings

Fire Resisting Construction (1)

Department of Architecture and Civil Engineering
City University of Hong Kong
 Fire Resisting Construction
a brief overview
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 Fire protection in buildings
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 Why we need to have fire
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protection in buildings?
To protect the human life as well as the
properties at unwanted fire situations!
 Zero risk appears impossible!
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 Fire Triangle
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Fuel (fire load)

Removing any
one of them
would extinguish
the fire

Heat (Ignition) Oxygen (Ventilation)

 Fire Curve
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10000C

Flashover

5000C

Growth Steady Decay Time

combustion

7
 Tactics for fire safety design for buildings
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Try to avoid …. or …. to reduce

(to prevent ‘fire happening’ – prevent ignition!)

Try to limit or control its effect

(to control the fire development/ fire size – effect of the ‘burning’!)

Try to ‘evacuate’ people

(to let the occupants leave before the space becomes untenable!)

Try to ‘remove’ or ‘rescue’ people

(to rescue the people ‘trapped’ in the dangerous zones!)
 Traditional building design in
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respect of fire safety

To comply with the prescribed requirements
stipulated in building regulations and
associated fire codes
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Statutory Control relating to

Fire Safety
• Buildings Ordinance
• Fire Services Ordinance
 Prescriptive Guidelines
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New code published in 2011:

Code of Practice for Fire Safety in Buildings 2011

Original
• Means of Escape Code, 96 [for Building (Planning) Regulation 41(1)]
• Fire Resisting Construction Code, 96 [for Building (Construction)
Regulation 90]
• Fire Fighting & Rescue Code, 1995 (as mended to include the
emergency vehicular access, 2004) [for Building (Planning)
Regulation 41A~D]
• Min. Fire Service Installation Code (updated 2012) [for Buildings
Ordinance s.16(1)(b)]
 Major objectives of the major
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parts of the code/ FSI Code

Codes Major objectives
FSI Code Control fire size, prevent fire/ smoke spread,
etc.

Part B – Means of Evacuation [to allow occupants to leave the

Escape building safely]

Part C – Fire Fire resistance (prevent fire/ smoke spread)

Resistance
Part D – Means Fire-fighting & rescue
of Access
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Part C - Fire Resisting

Construction
Elements of construction to have fire resistance
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

What is fire resistance?

The ability of a structure to continue to function
when subjected to the effects of heat is defined
as its fire resistance.
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Why we need to have fire resistance?

To ensure building integrity for a certain

period of time under fire conditions and to
permit evacuation of occupants and access for
firefighters
 Measurement of fire resistance in
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the prescriptive codes

FRR is normally measured in terms of time. [In
HK situation, 30 minutes, 60 minutes, 120 minutes
and 240 minutes have been specified in Table C1
of the 2011 FS Code]
i.e. the Fire Resisting Rating
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Basic objectives of fire resistance

Fire Resistance

Fire separation Structural fire protection

On the basis of BS476:Part 20

 Prescriptive requirements
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o Before 1989 - stipulated in Building

(Construction) Regulation 182 to 190
o After 1989 - guidelines given in FRC Code, 1989
and amended in 1996 [statutory requirements
in B(C)R 90]
o Now, given in Part C of the 2011 FS Code
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Statutory requirements laid down in

B(C)R 90 - in four issues:
o Compartmentation
o Resistance to spread of fire and smoke
o Maintaining stability in case of fire
o Resistance of spread of fire over roof
 What is compartmentation?
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Compartmentation is a way of keeping a fire

relatively small by dividing a space into fire-
tight cells or units by means of fire resisting
walls and floors.
Fire-tight cells to
prevent fire
spread
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Keeping the fire small is a basic principle in

preventing fire spread inside a building

Keep the fire Keep the fire load in a

small space to an acceptable level

Keep the volume/ size of a

space (a compartment)
Common corridor

Fire rated
door
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Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Different Use
Classifications should
be separated by fire
rated barrier
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Excessive may be allowed:

A fire compartment area/volume in excess of that given above will be
dealt with on individual merits giving full consideration to enhance
means of escape, means of access for firefighting and rescue, fire service
installations and fire resisting construction so as to achieve an equivalent
level of fire safety.
 What kinds of elements/ components
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require fire resistance?

Every element of construction within each
compartment and every compartment wall or
compartment floor should have an FRR.
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Roof

May not
require FR
(but, with non-
combustible
materials –
Clause C12.1

FR may be
required

Appropriate??
 Fire resistance Rating (FRR)
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The period of time for which any element of construction,

wall, fixed light, door, fire shutter or other compartment
of a building is capable of resisting the action of fire
when tested in accordance with ISO834 or BS476: Part 20
to 24 or as specified in tables E2 to E7 of the 2011 FS Code
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Stability
The ability of a specimen of a load bearing
element to support its test load, where
appropriate, without exceeding specified
criteria with respect to either the extent of, or
rate of, deformation or both.
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Integrity
The ability of a specimen of a separating
element to contain a fire to specified criteria
for collapse, freedom from holes, cracks and
fissures and sustained flaming on the
unexposed face.
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Insulation
The ability of a specimen of a separating
element to restrict the temperature rise of the
unexposed face to below specified levels.
 Building elements
Fire Protection to RC element (beam)
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To resist the heat

affecting the steel bars

Concrete cover
A concrete beam
Fire resistance depends on
thickness of concrete cover
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

To prevent the temperature of the steelworks

reaching the end-point situations

Encase with suitable Separate from the fire

insulation with an adequate
distance
Materials/ methods of Encased/ covered
construction specified with materials
in Table E which have been
tested to BS476
Fire Protection to Steelworks
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 Hong Kong FRR Requirements
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Construction & Materials Minimum thickness in mm for

period of:
4 hrs 2 hrs 1 hr
Solid Reinforced Concrete Construction

Thickness of concrete 170 125 100

Cover to all reinforcement

Simply supported 55 35 20

Continuous 45 20 20

Table E4 Floors and Landings

 Some requirements
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Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
Department of Architecture & CivilEngineering

Roof/ roof deck normally

not require fire resistance
except that the roof is
serving as a refuge floor
or forming part of an
escape route

Refuge floor

Any member
(column/ beam)
Clause C7.1 - Floor
forming part of
separating different
the structural
usages – the larger FRR
frame, and the
Usage 2 of the usages
floor require fire
resistance –
Clause C4.1 & Usage 1
Table C2

Basement

Clause C14.1 –
4 hour FRR 55
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
 FR for Basement
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Slab and all

enclosing
elements for
the required
exit routes of
Different usage as
the basement
to the basement
should have 4 Ground Level
hour FRR

A storey below ground

& from which all
required exit routes
All elements of are in an upward
construction, etc. direction
should have 4 hour
FRR (fire barrier
forming compartment
walls within
basement – 2 hr
57
FRR)
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering

Volume < 7,000m3 and

height < 7.5m

Structural
steelwork Clear
may not have unobstructed
space < 6m
fire resistance
A single storey
building

Site boundary
BS449: Experience has shown that when grade 43
steel members are tested under full load according
to BS476: Part 20, structural failure does not occur
until the mean steel temperature exceeds 550
DegC.
Protection of adjoining structures
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Protection of adjoining structures
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Protection of adjoining structures
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Protection of adjoining structures
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Protection of adjoining structures
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Protection of adjoining structures
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Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
 Separate units/ occupancy
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Each unit is a
FRR walls
compartment
Separation between uses
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 Separation between uses
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The larger
FRR of the
usages

Usage A

G.L.
Usage B

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 Different Occupancies
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FRR = required for the occupancy of

higher requirement

Occupancy B

Occupancy A
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
Department of Architecture & CivilEngineering

*Walls

Rm.
Rm.

Rm. Rm. Rm.

*Fixed light
*Fire rated door may be installed

Rooms in flats and offices (except shopping arcades)

*All fire barriers with an FRR of the usage 83
 FRR not require for Use
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Classification 4b

Shop Shop Shop Shop

Shop Shop Shop Shop

Shop front - no need
to have fire rating
under Clause C7.4

Shopping arcades

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Department of Architecture & CivilEngineering

Occupancies for use for retail from the common

arcade or mall area do not require such
separation provided that:

• they are under a common and effective management;

and
• a common fire alarm system actuated by a sprinkler
alarm or by break glass points

Please refer to Clause C7.4.

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 Balcony approach
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Staircase Staircase

BALCONY

FLAT
FLAT FLAT

No need to have fire rating (for 2 direction

balcony approach arrangement)
 Balcony approach
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Staircase

BALCONY

FLAT
FLAT FLAT

Fire rating required (for single

direction balcony approach
arrangement) – Clause C7.5
Protection of openings through fire barriers
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 Protection of openings for passing building
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services
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Compartment wall, etc.

Fire damper or similar fire Duct, etc.

stopping component having
fire rating equals that of the
compartment wall
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Opening provided with fire

rated panel/ door with FRR
same as that of the shaft Compartment floor
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering
 END
Department of Architecture & Civil Engineering