3.5.4

In the case of Residential (Institutional) buildings, consideration is required to the potential for fire spread between compartments by way of the external elevations. This is on account of the nature of the occupancy and the need to ensure the safety of occupants who have been evacuated to an adjoining compartment (see 1.2.7).

The potential for fire spread by way of unprotected areas on each side of a compartment wall or protected stairway should be considered, where such walls abut an external elevation or are in close proximity to a re-entrant angle, such as occurs in the corner of a courtyard or the internal angle where two elevations meet.

In the case of courtyards, lightwells or wings of the same building, where opposite elevations are wholly or partially in different compartments, separation distances between such opposing elevations should be considered.

Guidance on internal fire spread (structure) in hospitals, including the considerations referred to above, is contained in Firecode Health Technical Memorandum 81, Fire Precautions in New Hospitals, 1996 (HTM81: 1996).

Hospitals also contain a number of high hazard rooms and areas which should be regarded as places of special fire risk (see 1.0.9). These include physiotherapy rooms, occupational therapy rooms, laundries, large kitchens and laboratories. Such areas should be fully separated by means of compartmentation (see 3.2.4.1).

Residential (Institutional) Buildings (Purpose Group 2(a))