COVER FEATURE
INGENIEUR
Fire Safety in Green Buildings & Green Fire Systems
By Ir . Chen Thiam Leong
The advent and proliferation of design elements in green buildings may impose building , fire and life safety code issues if not co-ordinated with fire protection engineers during the early stages of design . Concerns about the integrity of fire safety provisions being impacted by green features or elements is real and requires continuous monitoring and proactive resolution . However , as custodians of fire safety , we need also to contribute to the global sustainability agenda , by being innovative with existing fire systems be it in design or products . In line with such objectives , this article discusses fire safety issues resulting from external green influences and the need to be receptive to green innovations for prevailing fire systems .
The objective of fire protection engineers is to design fire protection systems to achieve safe life and property protection , in that order . To venture beyond these two realms will require a concerted change of mindset .
While we grapple with the marketing hype of being “ Green ” ( aka sustainability ) in everything we do today , let us be clear that Fire Safety has always been a sustainable practice ! Do you know that Fire Safety practice easily meets nine out of the 17 United Nation ’ s Sustainable Development Goals ( SDGs )?
A simple illustration would be the environmental impact of automatic fire sprinklers where their use reduces greenhouse gas emission by 98 %, reduces fire damage by up to 97 % and reduces water usage by upwards of 90 %, thereby reducing water pollution released into the environment ( FM Global Study 2010 ).
Nonetheless , there is much more that the fire protection engineering fraternity can and should do to contribute to the global sustainability agenda , without compromising the primary objectives of life and property protection .
Green Buildings & Fire Systems
Fire protection engineering may not be typically considered during a green building design process . Unfortunately , there are possibilities that a green building design may affect related fire protection systems or fire / life safety code requirements . Several examples include firefighting access , extensive use of timber elements , issues associated with using reclaimed water to supply fire suppression systems , use of atria to provide natural light and / or natural ventilation , and air flushing to maintain indoor air quality by making use of the installed smoke extraction system .
Underfloor air-distribution systems and thermal displacement ventilation strategies are commonly employed in many sustainable design projects and may present building code compliance challenges . Additionally , there are aspects of fire protection engineering that may be utilised in an integrated green building approach to support sustainable design such as timber structures and elements . Similar challenges can be found in applications of Building Integrated Photovoltaics , Solar Thermal Cooling systems , roof greenery and vertical façade greenery . Designing low-water ( water mist or fog systems ) or no-water consumption ( dry chemical or clean agent ) fire-suppression systems may be applicable in some design situations .
Performance-based design approaches may also be used as a method to meet the intent of the applicable codes when unique green building design methods / strategies are employed .
18 VOL 91 JULY-SEPTEMBER 2022