The provision of an adequate means of escape from fire is fundamental to the design of new buildings and to the alteration, change of use or extension of existing buildings. It is essential that means of escape are considered at the earliest stage of a project as mistakes are very expensive to correct later in the design.
There is a great deal of legislation on means of escape design and control, but this is scattered throughout a large number of statutes, regulations and guidance documents. Many buildings need to be licensed and/or registered, as well as requiring certification and Building Regulation compliance.
This book provides an invaluable reference on the subject for architects, surveyors and building control officers. It:
• identifies the legislation which applies to any particular building use
• describes the general principles of designing means of escape, together with a ten step approach for a range of residential and non-residential buildings
• considers alternative design options based on fire safety engineering
• outlines fire safety management in premises in use as an aid to employers, who have a statutory duty to undertake fire risk assessments.