Abstract
Fire effects can be one of the most harmful conditions that any building may experience throughout its service life. Developing practical protection methods and concepts against potential fire disasters in buildings has been an important consideration in design of buildings in recent decades. Rapid developments in technology have heightened the demand for new and innovative fire protection systems in comparison with conventional and traditional methods. Such a need for new technologies is in particular of greater importance when it comes to existing buildings. Retrofitting an existing building for fire safety is a greater challenge compared with designing a new building using materials and components that have more desirable and superior fire rating to begin with. Furthermore, strategies to design a new building that includes state-of-the-art fire safety features are also different from solutions that may be more suitable for retrofitting an existing building. This paper presents a review of the literature concerning conventional and new or innovative retrofitting methods for fire safety of buildings. Advantages and disadvantages of different fire protection devices and methods as available and understood from the literature are mentioned. Study of fire safety systems shows that each has its drawbacks. Comparison of the results shows that disadvantages of a solitary system for retrofitting against fire can be improved by using a combination of several fire safety concepts or methods simultaneously.
Highlights
The potential for residential fire disasters (Figure 1) is of great concern in building design and a significant factor in architectural design of buildings in terms of construction material, configuration, openings and emergency exit strategy
Karter study [1] shows that the risk of fire incidents in residential buildings is much more than other cases such that 83% of fire-related fatalities occurred in homes
A representative sample of relevant literature concerning fire incidents in buildings was reviewed to identify the main causes of fire spread in existing residential buildings
Summary
The potential for residential fire disasters (Figure 1) is of great concern in building design and a significant factor in architectural design of buildings in terms of construction material, configuration, openings and emergency exit strategy. New buildings are generally constructed by using more advanced and modern structural and nonstructural systems per building code requirements and industry products, the building contents may not necessarily have been developed and manufactured with consideration of fire safety criteria. This means that because of ever increasing use of modern electronic devices, furniture and various combustible materials and components in buildings, the possibility of fire incidents likely increases [9] [10] [11] [12] [13]. Such a study can lead to evaluation of various options and determining appropriateness of solutions for different situations
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
