User Manual

Siemens Switzerland Ltd

Building Technologies Division

2.2. Fire protection measures

Fire protection measures can be divided into passive measures and active measures.

Generally speaking, passive (structural) measures define a building's resistance and endurance after a fire has

developed, while active measures are aimed at preventing the outbreak and spread of fire and smoke.

2.2.1. Passive measures

One of the guiding principles during the planning of a fire protection concept in a historical building is preserving

the authenticity and the character of the building. However, making the building as safe as possible may require

considerable structural alterations, which would include compartmentalizing the building to restrict an incipient

fire to a single area and to prevent smoke spreading throughout the building (e.g. fire doors, enclosed staircases

etc.). Ideally a smoke control system would be needed to extract smoke from the area of the fire and create over-

pressure in other areas of the building, which would mean the installation of appropriately dimensioned ducting

and fans. Such modifications are generally incompatible with conservation principles.

Protection of priceless works of art should not be subjected to such compromises. Ideally such artifacts should be

housed in purpose-built museums, where the focus is clearly on providing maximum protection for the contents

of the building. Although there may be a number of notable exceptions, historical buildings are not generally

suitable for the housing of priceless works of art.

Although passive protection measures are not the primary focus of this document, they are extremely important.

The majority of passive protection measures are related to the building structure, construction methods and

materials used. Due to the materials and building methods used in historical buildings, this presents a major

challenge to developing a satisfactory fire protection concept.

The main elements of passive (structural) fire protection include:

· Fire compartmentalization of a building

· Use of materials to prevent building collapse

· Fire-resistant construction elements to limit the spread of fire and smoke

· Provision of fire-resistant escape routes/exits/staircases/elevators

· Selection of materials to reduce the fire load

· Selection of materials to prevent the generation of toxic vapors (in the case of fire)

For museums and art galleries under construction, most of these measures are defined by national or local

building codes, especially for larger art centers, which may have complex escape routes. In the case of historical

buildings, however, it may often prove difficult to improve effective passive protection without undertaking

drastic reconstruction. Any intervention of this nature is generally in contradiction with the requirements of the

conservation lobby, who wish to preserve the character and authenticity of the original building as far as possible.

The main objective of passive protection measures is to prevent fire and smoke from spreading rapidly throughout

the building. Unfortunately, some features of historical building construction, such as undivided roof voids

actually assist the rapid spread of fire. Frequently (as in the case of the Hampton Court fire) the presence of

interconnecting voids can become a major hazard to historical buildings in the case of fire. These voids may

consist of chimney flues, ventilation shafts or dumb-waiter lift shafts.

Many of these buildings are built largely of wood; the interior decor includes heavy carpeting and furnishings,

while this is often compounded by wood paneling, wall hangings and paintings etc. As a result, these buildings

have a very high fire load.