One stop shop for Fire Engineering

A new one-stop-shop website has been launched to support the development of the fast growing discipline of structural fire engineering. The website – www.mace.manchester.ac.uk/project/research/structures/strucfire/ – has been developed at the University of Manchester with support from a Department of Trade and Industry “Partners in Innovation” initiative, and from industrial partners from across the construction industry, including steel organisations.

Manchester University’s Professor Colin Bailey, who has played a leading role in developing the website, said: “The website has been created to reduce the current burden on UK industry in the procurement of efficient and economical construction projects which apply the latest technology associated with structural fire engineering.

“Structural fire engineering is progressing at a significant pace, bringing together the traditional disciplines of structural engineering and fire engineering. New design methods are continually being developed based on theoretical and experimental research. Designers and clients are starting to become aware of the benefits of using structural fire engineering, which generally leads to the construction of more economical, robust and innovative buildings.”

The web site provides free practical and impartial advice on all aspects of structural fire engineering allowing the full benefits of previous research and developments to be utilised in practice. The information on the site includes sections on how to design, quick solutions for the non-expert, case studies, material behaviour, references and test data.