In performance-based fire engineering design what does the term ‘performance’ actually mean? Is it just compliance with the building code or should performance extend to muliple stakeholders? Performance based fire engineering usually involves specific fire design through fire and egress modelling to gain building permits. However, how will the building perform to the needs of…
Many people believe building regulations guarantee occupant safety, but compliance only reflects a government-led level of risk. True safety is measured by the ability of occupants to escape a fire unharmed. The compliance documents can quickly become out of step with new technology creating safety issues as discussed in my previous article Fire Risks of…
This is a transcript of my presentation ‘Fire Risk of Electric Vehicles in Buildings’ at the FireNZ conference in Wellington, NZ, in October 2024. Introduction The number of electric vehicles (EV) has been rapidly increasing worldwide since their inception in 2010. Currently, there are more than 40 million electric-powered cars in the world. Nearly 20%…
Fire Risks Fire engineering has evolved into a formal profession in New Zealand over the past two decades. The methods employed in fire engineering are increasingly standardized. Initially, fire engineering was characterized by the application of international best practices, a risk-based approach, and research to develop fire design solutions. However, in recent times, fire engineering…
Housing is rapidly changing in New Zealand with shortage of land available in cities and the need to live near transport links with close proximity to a CBD. Medium density housing is now the new norm. The New Zealand fire code for housing is Acceptable Solution C/AS1 which has not kept pace with new housing…