Buildings must have lifetime safety.
This British Standard gives recommendations and guidance on the design, management and use of the following building types, to achieve reasonable standards of fire safety for all people in and around:
a) dwellings (single-family dwelling houses, self-contained flats or maisonettes);
b) blocks of flats;
c) residential accommodation blocks (e.g. for students or hospital staff), with individual bedrooms and the provision of kitchen/sanitary facilities constructed within a fire compartment;
d) specialized housing; and
e) residential care.
NOTE 1 Recommendations for fire safety in the design, management and use of buildings other than residential buildings are given in BS 9999.
It is not applicable to hotels, caravans/mobile homes, hospitals, places of lawful detention or hostels.
NOTE 2 Requirements for means of escape from caravans and mobile homes are given in BS 3632.
This British Standard is applicable to the design of new buildings, and to material alterations, extensions and material change of use of an existing building.
NOTE 3 Attention is drawn to the Building Regulations 2010 [1] and equivalent national variations ([3] to [5]) in respect of the definition of material alterations, extensions and material change of use.
It also provides recommendations and guidance on the ongoing management of fire safety in a building throughout the entire life cycle of the building, including measures for designers to enable the overall design of a building to assist and enhance the management of fire safety. It can be used as a tool for assessing existing buildings, although fundamental change in line with its recommendations might be limited or not practicable.
The recommendations and guidance given in this British Standard are intended to safeguard the lives of building occupants and firefighters. Whilst some of the recommendations and guidance might also assist in the achievement of other fire safety objectives – such as protection of property, the environment, communities and business/service viability – additional measures might be necessary which are outside the scope of this British Standard.
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