Performance-based fire design and the U.S. prescriptive guidelines: A comparative study

Current codes and standards for fire design of structures in the United States are mainly based on design at the component level using prescriptive approaches, while performance-based design for fire can be used to address the needs for designing modern buildings with cost-effective solutions. Previous research shows that, when system-level performance is considered, fire protection on secondary beam elements in composite steel-concrete floor systems is not necessary due to the development of a membrane action in the concrete slab during fire. This study compares the fire design of a 9-story office building using prescriptive and performance-based designs. The safety levels of the two designs are investigated and compared. It is shown that performance-based design can be used to achieve the required level of safety currently enforced in the U.S. prescriptive guidelines, while providing an opportunity for cost reduction in fire protection material.