Description

As our housing becomes more densified, do current fire safety controls need to change to keep people safe from fire? A new BRANZ research programme is looking at this, focusing initially on fire resistance and fire spread.

The traditional low-density, quarter-acre approach to housing in New Zealand has the advantage of distance to help maintain an acceptable level of fire safety between households.

As housing becomes more densified by necessity, the distance between households decreases. Without the buffer provided by distance, fire safety needs to be managed directly by the design and construction of the buildings themselves, requiring a different mindset and approach.

Scope

This article includes:

• Fire safety challenges as housing changes
• New BRANZ research programme
• Fire resistance
• Fire spread
• Emergency egress
• Getting knowledge to those that need it