Text Box: British Standard: 9999: 2008 Introduced in October 2008, BS9999 (Code of practice for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings), makes specific reference to the architectural and design freedoms you can achieve when a sprinkler system is installed.

Text Box: Headline Trade Offs Improved open planning. Excluding or reducing the need for fire doors & lobby protection. Less restrictive egress routes. Larger rooms allowing for more living space. The 45m from highway rule can be extended. Building consent for restricted access to fire service. Secondary fire escape exclusion.

Sprinklers open up opportunities and make good business sense. By “Trading Up” to sprinklers you can enjoy design flexibility, reduce costs and meet building regulations.

Increasingly, building control officers and architects are becoming familiar with their use, in both existing property and new developments. Including sprinklers is not just an alternative means of complying with building regulations. The result can be a much improved scenario.

What are the trade offs?

Where a sprinkler systems is proposed as a compensatory feature, it should be justified to ensure an equivalent (or higher) level of protection can be achieved when compared with the traditional code based approach.

The following trade offs can include:

1. Secondary means of escape exclusion:

A second means of escape could be relaxed where sprinklers are used and:

· The occupied space is at a height of over 7.5m

· Where the provision of external staircases are not possible or desirable

· Where four storey town houses depend upon single stairway for exit

2. Passive requirements for typical loft conversions

Where a new floor is formed at more than 4.5m above ground level, sprinkler protection is a viable alternative. There is no need, for instance, to upgrade the floor to 30-minute fire resistance where sprinklers are provided

3. Fire Resistance Requirements

The 30-minute fire resistance for walls, doors and floors could be relaxed.

4. Open Stairways

Stairways open to ground floor lounge areas from new second floor accommodation, could be acceptable with a sprinkler system

5. Inner Rooms

It is acceptable for inner rooms to open into an open plan living space where sprinklers are provided.

6. Internal protected corridors or hallways

These are currently restricted to 9m in length, but these could be extended to 18m with a sprinkler system

7. Heat detectors

The requirement for heat detectors in bedrooms or bed-sits with cooking facilities and in kitchens, could be relaxed with the installation of sprinklers.

8. Compartmentation between different purpose groups

Reduced levels of fire resistance between different purpose groups (for example shops and flats above) could be acceptable providing the whole building is sprinkler protected.

9. Intumescent door seals

Relaxation on the need to provide intumescent door seals for doors leading to escape routes where sprinklers are provided.

10. Relaxation of boundary distances and unprotected areas:

The installation of a sprinkler system permits boundary distances to be half that for an otherwise similar, but unsprinklered building, subject to there being a minimum distance of 1m. Alternatively, the amount of unprotected area may be doubled if the boundary distance is maintained.

11. Travel distances

The 45m highway rule can be extended as a sprinkler system will significantly reduce the risk of a fire developing and spreading beyond the room of origin. This reduced risk to occupants, allows the potential for greater evacuation times. Therefore, there is scope to introduce increased flexibility in travel distances.

12. Access

Where the access widths and turning areas for fire appliances do not meet Approved Document B, a sprinkler system could complement planning application.

What are the practicalities of trade offs?

Sprinklers open up opportunities and make good business sense. By “Trading Up” to sprinklers you can enjoy design flexibility, reduce costs and meet building regulations.

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FACT: A secondary means of escape may not be required if your property has a sprinkler system