ABSTRACT
Fire costs the Australian economy approximately $12billion/year [1], yet the current fire buildingdesign practice standards and guidelines are not comprehensive, and provide only simplified tables derived from basic element testing. The performance of structures subjected to extreme fire conditions has received worldwide attention recently. Examples include the collapse of the World Trade Center in 2001 and subsequent World Trade Center Building 8 and the recent tunnel fires in Europe, namely the Channel Fire in 1999 and the St Gotthard Fire in 2001 [2].These catastrophic failures of structures caused by extreme fire conditions have demonstrated the need to carry out comprehensive research on the performance of structures in fire in order to: a) to enhance the safety of structural buildings under combined structural and fire loading, andb) to develop fire resilient, robust and efficient structures constructed with new, innovative, cost effective and environmental friendly materials.
