ABSTRACT
Safety during a fire is dependent on fire resisting compartments that prevent the spread of fire and by means of protecting structural members against collapse. The level of fire resistance needed has traditionally been derived from tabulated values in building codes. Alternatively, the designer can use a performance based analysis to determine the severity of the fire and calculate an appropriate fire resistance period for the structural members. The project selected to illustrate the application of a performance based method for structural design in the fire condition, is the Swiss Re office building in the City of London, a free-standing 40-storey office building.
