Fire protection in buildings - Introduction to Fire Safety Management - page 176

Roof members not
elements of structure

Any Gallery Separating or compartment wall

Floor

Any part of
structural
frame

Structure enclosing
protected shaft

Any loadbearing wall

Columns or beams

Lower floor not part of structure

External wall

Figure 9.3 Elements of structure

Junctions
In a building that is designed to offer some resistance to
fi re it is crucial that the joints between the various elem-
ents of structure do not present any weak spots in the
fi re protection.
It is therefore critical that the junctions of all of the
elements of structure that form a compartment are
formed in such a way that fi re is prevented from passing
through the join for a period at least equal to the period
of fi re resistance of any of the elements it joins. In

some situations, for example roofs in terraced buildings
and buildings that abut each other, the compartment
walls extend through the roofs and walls forming the
compartment.

9.4.2 Compartmentation

Compartmentation is the subdivision of the building into
compartments. Each compartment separated from others

Figure 9.4 Party wall between terraced properties

Figure 9.5 Party wall between two adjacent buildings