ABSTRACT
The main aim of this paper is to promote the practice of performance based fire engineering in achieving fire safety of buildings. Using case studies of high-rise residential buildings designed according to the UK practice of fire safety, this paper explains how the fire engineering practice decisions are made and illustrates the benefits of using a performance based fire engineering approach to achieve fire safety in buildings. Through a comparison between aspects of the UK and Turkish regulations and practices for fire safety, this paper identifies some scopes why introduction of a fire engineering approach would be beneficial. Modern fire safety design in the UK has undergone a long period of development to have now reached a stage where performance based fire engineering is widely accepted as an alternative method to the traditional, prescriptive, approach to fire safety. The paper will point out preparatory work necessary to enable a fire engineering approach to be introduced and implemented in Turkey.
