For example, an historic three story courthouse
building without an automatic fire sprinkler system
is provided with unenclosed interior exit stairs. The
building owner is considering a building renova-
tion and wants to know if he will need to upgrade
the exit stairs to add two enclosed stairs. The fire
protection engineer meets with the building
owner and the historic preservation professional
and tours the facility to better understand the
facility and concerns from a historic preservation
perspective. The fire protection engineer develops
a performance based design approach using
computer fire modeling to achieve the design
objectives communicated between the stake-
holders to include the owner, preservationist, fire
protection engineer and code
enforcement official. The end
result is adding a fire sprinkler sys-
tem to the building that would
mitigate the spread of a fire and
allow the unenclosed interior exit
stairs to remain without separa-
tion. The computer fire and egress
models demonstrated safe egress
time for the building occupants
from the building with the unen-
closed exit stairs and the addition
of a fire sprinkler system. The per-
formance based solution provided
a fire protection scheme for an
historic building that satisfied all
stakeholders using computer fire
modeling.
Fire protection in historic build-
ings is essential to reducing the
loss history of these landmark
buildings. Advancements in fire
technology, computer fire model-
ing and performance based design
have made the solutions to these
problems more achievable. Con-
tinuing to communicate the
advantages and benefits of good
fire protection to owners of his-
toric buildings and demonstrating
that such upgrades can be
achieved without degrading the
historical significance of the struc-
ture is also critical. Three keys to
achieving good fire protection in
historic buildings;
1 At the onset of a project,
gather the project stakeholders
and outline the stated goals
and objectives of historic
preservation and fire protection
planning. Include the code
enforcement official in this
discussion.
2 Establish realistic budgets at the onset of the
project that incorporate the goals and objec-
tives identified by the project stakeholders.
3 Communication between the owner, the design
professionals, the contractor and the code
enforcement officials is critical throughout the
project duration towards achieving good fire
protection in historic buildings
As fire protection professionals we have a
shared responsibility to encourage owners of his-
toric buildings to upgrade the fire protection
to a level that is equivalent or greater than what is
required for new construction so that future
generations may enjoy the historical significance
these buildings bring to our communities. IFP
16 INTERNATIONAL FIRE PROTECTION
Joseph Castellano, P.E. is a
Vice President � Engineering
Manager for Rolf Jensen &
Associates, Inc., a leading fire
protection and life safety
consulting firm. He is based
in the Atlanta office and
can be reached by phone
(+ 770 671-8338) or email
(jcastellano@rjagroup.com)
FIRE PROTECTION IN HISTORIC BUILDINGS
FIRE PROTECTION
Fire protection in historic buildings is essential to
reducing the loss history of these landmark buildings.
Advancements in fire technology, computer fire
modeling and performance based design have made the
solutions to these problems more achievable
The Georgia State
Capitol Building,
RJA/Atlanta Office

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