ABSTRACT
Invariably there is too little time in the design process for architects to become fully involved in the technicalities of the combustion process and it just is not necessary. Architects do not normally want, and they do not need, to become fire scientists. However, to ensure an acceptable standard of fire safety without allowing it to dominate the design, it is necessary to be aware of what happens in a fire. Architects need to know what their design objectives ought to be, and how these can be achieved. Therefore this chapter briefly sketches in the few essentials that the designer should know, and places them in the context of the design process. It should not be necessary for architects to become involved in calculations, formulae and chemical symbols, and all of these have been avoided here. The references in the final chapters provide boundless technical data, but if architects become involved in the fine detail of chemical reactions or the structure of flames, then they have gone beyond the stage where specialist advice is essential. This chapter, then, is for the “ordinary” architect, who does not have the time or inclination to become a fire safety specialist.
