Abstract
This chapter introduces structural fire engineering along with the specific contents of this handbook. The handbook has called upon the input of global experts to deliver a resource that brings together a significant volume of material on the topic of structural performance in the event of fire. The book is primarily written for practicing consulting engineers. However, it is foreseen that it can be a useful resource for students of structural engineering who wish to develop a deeper understanding of structural performance in the event of fire, as well as building authorities to assist with review of such alternative designs. Many would argue that whilst evidence exists which suggests that prescriptive methods for structural fire protection usually lead to adequate performance levels, few if any could quantify the level of safety that is provided within this framework. More likely, the actual level of structural fire safety is variable from building to building, subject to coincidental structural design decisions for other hazards (and then retrospectively protected/insulated). In contrast, structural fire engineering proactively designs the structure and applied fire protection to achieve targeted performance levels under fire conditions.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Hurley, M., Gottuk, D., Hall, J., Harada, K., Kuligowski, E., Puchovsky, M., Torero, J., Watts, J., Jr., & Wieczorek, C. (Eds.). (2016). SFPE handbook of fire protection engineering (5th ed.). Springer.
Drysdale, D. (2011). An introduction to fire dynamics (3rd ed.). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119975465.ch1
Wermiel, S. E. (2000). The fireproof building: Technology and public safety in the nineteenth-century American city, studies in industry and society. Johns Hopkins University Press.
Oxford Dictionary. (2020). Oxford Dictionary entry: Resistance. Oxford Learner’s Dictionaries.
BSI. (2008). BS EN 13501-2:2007+A1:2009 Fire classification of construction products and building elements. Classification using data from fire resistance tests, excluding ventilation services. BSI, London.
Buchanan, A. H., & Abu, A. (2017). Structural design for fire safety (2nd ed.). Wiley.
HM Government. (2010). The building regulations 2010. Ministry for Housing, Communities & Local Government.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. (2020a). Approved document B: Fire safety - volume 1. RIBA Publishing.
Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. (2020b). Approved document B: Fire safety - volume 2. RIBA Publishing.
Block, F., Yu, C., & Butterworth, N. (2010). The practical application of structural fire engineering on a retail development in the UK. Journal of Structural Fire Engineering, 1, 205–218. https://doi.org/10.1260/2040-2317.1.4.205
Hopkin, D., Anastasov, S., Illingworth, D., McColl, B., Loughlin, E. O., & Taylor, A. (2018). A structural fire strategy for an exposed weathering steel-framed building. The Structural Engineer/The Journal of the Institution of Structural Engineers, 96, 60–66.
Kotsovinos, P., Rackauskaite, E., & Deeny, S. (2020). The role of transfer beams on the global structural fire response of tall steel framed buildings. Fire Safety Journal, 103172. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.firesaf.2020.103172
Bisby, L. A. (2021). Structural fire safety when responding to the climate emergency. The Structural Engineer/The Journal of the Institution of Structural Engineers, Vol. 99, Issue 2, London, UK.
Hopkin, D., Van Coile, R., & David, L. (2017). Certain uncertainty-demonstrating safety in fire engineering design and the need for safety targets. SFPE Europe, Issue 7, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Gaithersburg, MD, USA.
Van Coile, R., Hopkin, D., Lange, D., Jomaas, G., & Bisby, L. (2019). The need for hierarchies of acceptance criteria for probabilistic risk assessments in fire engineering. Fire Technology, 55, 1111–1146. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10694-018-0746-7
ISO. (1999). ISO 834-1:1999 fire-resistance tests — Elements of building construction — Part 1: General requirements. International Organization for Standardization.
Wilkinson, P., Hopkin, D., & McColl, B. (2019). Chapter 12: Fire resistance, structural robustness in fire and fire spread, in: CIBSE guide E: Fire safety engineering. The Lavenham Press Ltd.
Hopkin, D., Spearpoint, M., Gorksa, C., Krenn, H., Sleik, T., & Milner, M. (2020). Compliance road-map for the structural fire safety design of mass timber buildings in England. SFPE Europe, Q4, Society of Fire Protection Engineers, Gaithersburg, MD, USA.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2021 Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Hopkin, D., LaMalva, K. (2021). Foreword and Introduction. In: LaMalva, K., Hopkin, D. (eds) International Handbook of Structural Fire Engineering. The Society of Fire Protection Engineers Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77123-2_1
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77123-2_1
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-77122-5
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-77123-2
eBook Packages: EngineeringEngineering (R0)