SR165 Effective passive roof venting in the event of a fire - literature review (2007)

Fires in large industrial buildings can be very difficult for the NZ Fire Service to control and extinguish. To assist Fire Service operations, the Building Code Compliance Document C/AS1 (NZBC 2005) places a limit on the maximum compartment floor area in unsprinklered buildings (typically 1500 m²). However, there need be no subdivision of the building if at least 15% of the roof area (distributed evenly throughout the firecell) is designed for effective fire venting.

Subdividing large industrial buildings is often undesirable for functional reasons, and therefore the roof venting option is a popular one. However, the New Zealand intent of effective fire venting, as used in C/AS1, is not currently clear, and no requirements for standard testing, design or performance criteria are listed.

This report summarises current effective passive roof venting standard test methods in addition to the current international building regulations and standards associated with passive fire venting. The intent is to provide a basis for recommendations as to the appropriateness of the current NZBC requirements and potential future research required to provide a robust technical basis for future performance requirement recommendations.