Means of escape from fire
Most fire-related deaths occur because people don’t escape before they are affected by either smoke or by the fire itself. ‘Means of escape’ is therefore an important aspect of any building design.
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By Ed Soja – 1 February 2008, Build 104, Feature article
Most fire-related deaths occur because people don’t escape before they are affected by either smoke or by the fire itself. ‘Means of escape’ is therefore an important aspect of any building design.
By Amanda Robbins – 1 October 2013, Build 138
Successful fire modelling is a specialist field that requires the correct choice and application of the modelling tool and careful selection of experiments to validate the design.
By Greg Baker – 1 October 2014, Build 144, Feature article
Fire research led by BRANZ is studying the best design approach for stopping fire spread in buildings. It’s part of a project to keep people safe and to reduce property damage.
By Kevin Frank – 1 April 2019, Build 171, Feature article
Resolving firestopping compliance issues in existing buildings can be difficult. BRANZ research is helping bring consistency to the process of determining what is reasonable and practicable when undertaking building alterations.
By Jeff Parker – 1 April 2019, Build 171, Feature article
A new guide for professionals and specifiers looks at how to design timber buildings for fire safety, including Building Code requirements.
By Stuart Robertson, Ossama Mohamed – 1 April 2021, Build 183, Feature article
Building defects causing weathertightness issues are still prominent today, although some causes have changed over the years. Remediation costs are higher than ever, and the importance of determining liability continues to be critical.
By Greg Baker – 1 February 2014, Build 140
BRANZ research investigating the impact of the Canterbury earthquakes on passive fire protection (PFP) has found awareness about the seismic performance of these important systems needs to be raised.
By Ian Page – 1 October 2013, Build 138
A BRANZ project found that over 10% of owner-occupied housing is at risk should a fire break out. Several things can be done to help fireproof homes, and most are reasonably low cost.
By Robert Jansson – 1 June 2014, Build 142, Feature article
Fire spalling can drastically reduce the fire resistance of a concrete structure. During a PhD study, significant differences in spalling behaviour of concrete were found under different test conditions.
By Amanda Robbins – 1 October 2008, Build 108
Although roof fire vents are used in New Zealand to remove smoke and heat from a building during a fire, there are currently no standards to ensure their ‘effectiveness’. a BRANZ research project aims to change this.