Structural Fire Engineering (SFE)
Effective structural fire design enhances a building's fire safety while optimizing passive structural fire protection. This approach offers numerous benefits, such as lowering material costs, reducing construction time, allowing for more exposed structures, and enabling innovative design solutions.
Ensuring Innovative Fire-Resistant Design + Structural Safety
Poor structural integrity and insufficient fire safety measures can impact building performance and life safety. We collaborate across key specialty areas, providing problem-solving strategies founded in smart policy, innovative research and practical engineering. Our engineers are knowledgeable in advanced 3D analysis techniques and have vast experience in both structural fire-resistant design and fire analysis of steel, concrete, timber, and masonry structures. We can also perform structural safety assessments to determine the extent of damage and repairs after a fire event.
Code Compliance Reviews
It's important that the architectural, electrical, and structural systems are maintained to the current code guidelines and repaired if they are failing. Our structural and MEP code compliance assessments for any new construction or building modification include review of structural design, plumbing systems and fixtures. We balance the rigorous requirements of life safety and code compliance with practicality and aesthetic considerations.
Steel + Composite Structures
SFE can be used to rationalize the fire protection of steel structures, especially if the fire load is relatively small and/or when the steel structures are located far from the potential fire source.
Steel and concrete composite structures are well-suited for SFE analysis, as they typically exhibit superior fire performance as a system compared to predictions based on simplified methods for individual structural elements. These structures can also be considered in SFE analysis. In many cases, our team can optimize fire protection measures for certain steel components, potentially reducing or even eliminating the need for additional protection.
Timber Structures
Our SFE analysis can be used to justify the safe use of timber structures in different kinds of buildings, e.g. by demonstrating fire resistance in realistic fire conditions. Our analysis can also be used to enable exposed timber surfaces where feasible.
Detail Analysis
It is not always feasible to test all variations of structural elements and details. Therefore, our team can assess deviations from tested designs and optimize fire protection, ensuring both safety and efficiency.
Existing Structures
Verifying the structural fire resistance of old, historic, or existing structures can be challenging. Our advanced SFE methods, including thermal and structural numerical analysis, provide effective solutions for assessing fire resistance.
RELATED INSIGHTS + RESOURCES
Articles
Structural Fire Engineering for Innovative Solutions
Structural fire engineering offers a practical way to optimize fire protection while reducing dependence on conventional measures.
Blog + Whitepaper
MEET OUR EXPERTS
Mikko Salminen
Structural Fire Engineering Lead, Europe
Mikko Salminen
Structural Fire Engineering Lead, Europe
Ph.D. in Structural Fire Engineering, FISE Designer of Fire Safety (Class PV, Exceptionally demanding), Chairman of the Structural Fire Safety Specialist group in the Finnish Constructional Steelwork Association, Finnish Constructional Steelwork Association, Club member #45
Peter Nguyen
Senior Fire Engineer
Peter Nguyen
Senior Fire Engineer
PhD, Engineering, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Raymond Qiu
Operations Manager, New Zealand
Raymond Qiu
Operations Manager, New Zealand
Master of Engineering, Fire Engineering, Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) Civil Engineering, Chartered Professional Engineer (CPEng)
Hunter Young
Senior Structural Engineer + Practice Leader for Energy + Utilities
Hunter Young
Senior Structural Engineer + Practice Leader for Energy + Utilities
BS, Civil Engineering, ME, Civil + Environmental Engineering
Todd Radford
Senior Structural Engineer
Todd Radford
Senior Structural Engineer
BSE, Civil Engineering, MS, Civil + Environmental Engineering, Doctor of Civil + Environmental Engineering, Registered PE: CT, DC, MA, MD, ME, NH, NC, PA, VA
