Fire guide for the steel sector now available

All the information that architects and engineers need to know about designing for fire has been brought together in a new free technical guide from the steel sector.

Entitled Steel Construction: Fire Protection the guide is distributed with this issue of New Steel Construction and is also available as a free download from the online steel construction encyclopedia www.steelconstruction.info/ Steel_construction_news.

More is known about structural steelwork in fire than any other construction material. Its performance has been determined through a series of full scale fire tests, which are unparalleled for other materials.

Determining the fire protection requirements for the structural steelwork of a building is a simple and straightforward process, consistent across all types of common buildings. The procedure is clearly set out in the guide, which is intended to be a reference aid for designers at all levels.

While it is a standalone document, it also points the designer to the wealth of online articles available on this topic.

Steel frames consistently capture a market share in the multi-storey non-residential buildings market of around 70% and cost advantages are often cited as a key reason in selection of the framing material. Advances in the science of fire protection by systems manufacturers have ensured that this cost continues to fall, with the cost in real terms of fire protection today lower than it has ever been.