ABSTRACT
The requirements for fire resistance for a definite building construction are governed by the purpose for which the building is to be used, its floor area or cubic capacity and contents. The distance from the nearest fire station and/or water supply, the type of occupancy, the contents and the provision of sprinklers are of influence, particularly from the point of view of insurance premium. The U.S.A. model by-laws, for example, specify minimum resistance to fire for domestic purposes, of Hh, if the building does not exceed 50 ft (15 m) in height or 2500 ft2 (230 m2 ) in floor area; and 1 h when these limits are exceeded for public buildings and warehouses which are not used predominantly for storage. Generally, three different periods are specified, namely Hh, if the building does not exceed 50 ft (15 m) in height or 125 000 ft3 (3500 m3) in capacity; 1 h for a building between 50 ft and 70 ft (15 m and 23 m) in height or between 125 000 and 250 000 ft3 (3500 and 7500 m3) in capacity and not exceeding 7500 ft2 (700 m2) in area; and 2 h if these limits are exceeded. For warehouses which are used predominantly for storage, periods of resistance of Vi h, 1 h, 2 h and 4 h, are required according to the height and capacity of the building.
