Fire rules may raise costs

Peter Bressington, a director of consultant Arup and leader of Arup Fire International described the requirement as “very onerous”.

He said the requirement for an additional staircase could affect the viability of a tall building. “In a tall building with a small floor-plate, the requirement for an additional staircase will be difficult to accommodate cost effectively”.

The government published its proposed amendments to Part B of the Building Regulations in July. In the document it said it was “minded” to introduce that one of the escape stairs in a tall building with phased evacuation procedures was not used.

The changes to Part B also include a proposal to make sprinkler protection a requirement in high-rise apartments and residential care homes.

Bressington said that if sprinklers are installed in high-rise residential buildings, it could remove the need for additional escape stairs: “It might mean there is no need to provide a secondary means of evacuation”.

Other significant changes the government intends to make include:

• The introduction of a national maximum unsprinklered compartment size for warehouses
• Provision of cavity barriers in dwellings and non dwellings
• Provision of a suitable system of smoke alarms where a domestic extension is proposed
• Amendment of provisions for smoke ventilation of common access areas in apartment buildings
• Compartment walls to take account of deflections during a fire

Also under consideration is a requirement for additional dry rising mains in tall buildings.

The government is also proposing to cross-reference Part B with the Department for Education and Schools design guide Building Bulletin 100.

• Copies of the consultation document on Part B can be downloaded from the ODPM’s website www.odpm.gov.uk. The consultation ends on 14 November 2005.