Fire Safety in Green or Sustainable Buildings: Application of the Fire Engineering Approach in Hong Kong

Abstract

‘Green’ or ‘sustainable’ buildings might give new architectural features where prescriptive fire codes are difficult to follow. Examples include the internal voids, double-skin facades and others. As a result, ‘fire engineering approach’ which is similar to applying fire safety engineering to passive construction design through engineering performance-based fire codes used in overseas has been accepted by the local government since 1998.

In this paper, the historical background of local fire codes will be briefly discussed first. The fire engineering approach will then be introduced. How fire engineering approach was applied to safety provisions in ‘green or sustainable buildings’ since 1998 will be described. Basically, three levels of studies had been adopted for over 30 new projects or renovations of the existing buildings related to ‘green or sustainable’ buildings.

Keywords:

• Fire safety
• Green buildings
• Hung Kong
• Sustainable buildings