Fire-safety design and management of fire prevention procedures, from initial assessment to periodic renewal.
The practice handles technical feasibility assessments, fire-safety design, SCIA filing with the competent Fire Brigade Command and periodic renewal of compliance.
Work for public bodies, hospitality businesses and historic properties subject to controls has given the practice direct experience of procedures at the Rome Fire Brigade Command and the Sicilian provincial Commands.
Two assignments illustrate fire-safety solutions for a multi-storey car park with an outdoor area and a public nursery.
Fire-safety design with a favourable Fire Brigade assessment subject to conditions. Architectural and structural design and works supervision remained with the authority.
Read the case
Fire-safety upgrade for a public nursery: design, favourable assessment and documentation for operation.
Read the case| Activity | Threshold for controls | Category |
|---|---|---|
| Hotels and hospitality structures | over 25 guest beds | A: 26–50 · B: 51–100 · C: over 100 beds |
| Offices, public or private | over 300 people present | A: 301–500 · B: 501–800 · C: over 800 people |
| Car parks, public or private | covered area over 300 sqm | A: up to 1,000 · B: over 1,000 and up to 3,000 · C: over 3,000 sqm |
| Schools of every order, grade and type | over 100 people present | A: 101–150 · B: 151–300 · C: over 300 people |
A fire-safety review of an existing building compares the filed design with the actual use of rooms, compartments, service penetrations and escape routes. An outdated plan can conceal differences that matter for safety. The three scenarios below show what needs checking. The drawings alongside them are extracts from other Studio projects and illustrate the review method; they do not depict the buildings or defects described in the text.
A dwelling inside a school calls for a check of its separation from the school and of the fire-safety rule used for the design. Under Italian D.M. 26/08/1992, unrelated activities are separated without openings; clause 2.4 provides a specific exception for the caretaker’s flat, with independent access and a fire-rated door. A design using the Italian Fire Prevention Code must instead follow that code’s provisions. In either case, service penetrations must also be checked: pipes, cable trays and risers must preserve the compartment’s required performance. The check links the drawings to what was actually built.
An external stair can be visible and usable while its footprint lies outside the school’s plot. That does not automatically disqualify it as an escape route: the right to use the land, any easement or agreement, and the continued safety of the route must be established. A site visit confirms the physical conditions; comparing the escape plan, boundaries and land rights clarifies the legal position. Only then can the route be accepted or an alternative designed.
A classroom gradually used as an archive may have a different fire load and operating conditions from those assumed in the design. The label on the door is insufficient: the materials, quantities, separation and management of the room must be checked. The response may be to clear it, restrict its use or adapt the safety measures. The change must also be assessed against the applicable fire-prevention procedures to determine whether the filed documentation needs updating; occasional storage does not automatically require a new SCIA.
The three scenarios share a need to check what has actually been built and how the building is used today. Before confirming compliance or preparing a renewal, the file, site conditions and available documents are compared. Any differences are assessed for their effect on safety measures and the applicable procedures.
The starting point is a survey proportionate to the building, checking escape routes, doors, compartments and rooms whose use has changed. Further visits or investigations are planned where needed. Design decisions can then rest on verified data.
Drawings: extracts from real Studio projects used to illustrate the review method; they do not document the scenarios described.
For information about applicable requirements or a fire-safety assignment.
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