The Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) has published its latest technical publication, 'Guide to the advanced fire safety engineering of structures'.

Designed for structural engineers, fire engineers and approving bodies, this new guide discusses the range of methods available when designing for the performance of real structures in real fires.

Fire safety engineering is ever more important as structures are required to meet strict safety and performance standards. It is vital to achieve these standards using solutions that offer the best value for cost, time and materials. This publication provides this essential guidance with directions for the design process, a simple checklist, and case studies that show how the methods can be applied to give a better understanding of a structure's behaviour in a fire situation.


This new guide follows on from IStructE's still current publication, Introduction to the fire safety engineering of structures, published in September 2003. Used together, these guides provide an invaluable resource for anyone undertaking or checking designs using advanced fire safety engineering methods.

Mick Green, Task Group Chairman for the guide, commented: "The safety of individual structures is something that people often take for granted but it is an intricate and important part of the planning process for any building. Structural fire design combines the disciplines of structural engineering and fire engineering to allow a performance based design approach and create better value solutions. This guide will provide the support for more economic, robust, innovative and complex buildings to be constructed. I am particularly pleased about the broad membership of the steering group, which has added greatly to the value of the final report."

(CL)