Article
Article
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Fire safety (building design)
Article By:
Liew, Jat-Yuen Richard Department of Civil Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Yu, H. X. Department of Civil Engineering, National University of Singapore, Singapore.
Last reviewed:2006
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.YB060800
The main objective of ensuring safety in building design is to reduce the level of damage to the building and its contents and to minimize the loss of life in the event of an accident or natural hazard. To achieve this objective, buildings should be designed to have adequate resistance against accidental loads. In the design against accidental fire, the building should be able to withstand the fire for a reasonable time, and the fire should be contained within a localized part of the building. Several safety measures must be taken to meet the expected performance, including evacuating people from the building, detecting and suppressing the fire, stopping the fire from spreading, and protecting the load-bearing members from losing their strength at elevated temperatures.
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