History of Building Construction in the Context of Fire Safety and Prevention Buildings are one of the majestic products of human creativity in science especially in engineering and architecture. Aside from aesthetic values they have flexible uses wherein limited space is made even more usable for a civilized society. Modern civilization of today requires much intricate designs in compliance not only to the need of the building investors but also to the standard rules and protocols set by every city administration.According to History.
com the construction industry in the United States is the product of many individuals and organizations involved in building a single structure: from manufacturing of necessary equipments and components up to the final assembly. State laws strictly require architects and engineers to be registered before conducting construction profession so that the quality assurance of the final product will meet the requirements in zoning, public health considerations, fire safety and other building code requirements.The goal is not only to satisfy the wants of the owner thus the architects and engineers need to integrate the all the necessary requirements to construct the best construction output. The major elements of a building include the foundation, structure, exterior walls, interior partitions, environmental-control systems, vertical transportation systems, communications system and the utilities system i. e.
power and water supplies. In case of emergencies, the building must have a fire exit and sprinkler systems in case of fire and other natural phenomenon.The elements above talk about the necessary requirements needed in order to have a ‘physical’ building. Strategies vary according to the design influenced by the owner and building code requirements. The state and some national code organizations pursue the full compliance of contractors and builders to the building codes set by the law because lives are at stake when safety is sacrificed for lower construction costs and aesthetic purposes.
Fire is the most common mishap that can turn buildings into ashes and lives into death.In 2007 alone there was an estimated 520, 500 structure fires in the United States. The structure fires account for the approximately 87 percent of all civilian fire deaths and also 87 percent of the whole causes of civilian injuries. September 11 attack added 2, 541 civilian deaths and 800 civilian injuries and its total property value loss was approximately 33. 5 billion US dollars (US Fire Protection, 2007).
Aside from the loss of lives and properties of civilians, fire incidences lead to the improvement of safety precautions in building codes.The Model Code Program of New York City aims to make New York City a better model place to live, work, and build construction. It is initiated upon lessons from the past because no comprehensive revisions were made since 1968. New York City has one of the longest histories of building safety regulations in the Western worlds. The Dutch West India Company established rules for different types and locations of houses that were to be built by the colonists of New Amsterdam.
This simple attempt of meeting public sanitation and safety evolved into some of the most comprehensive building and zoning codes in the United States.In 1647, the “Surveyors of Buildings” was established and the law gave them the power to “Condemn all improprieties and disorder in buildings, fences, posts, and rails. ” Years later the construction of wood chimneys was outlawed and the “Firemasters” were appointed by the Governor of New Amsterdam to inspect and regulate chimneys because it has been observed that wooden chimneys are prone to start a fire. In 1761, the legislature of New York required that all houses in some locations in the city be made of bricks or stones with tile roofs to lessen fire incidences.After the “Great Fire of 1845”, in which 300 buildings were turned into ashes and many lives lost, the city started to realize the need to strengthen its building fire safety regulations.
When many people moved into New York, there happened a severe overcrowding and then many unsafe and sanitary buildings emerged just to cope with the rising demand for housing.From here, the country’s first comprehensive and formal set of building regulation laws were legislated i. e. Building Code in 1850, Tenement House Law of 1901, Multiple Dwelling Law in 1929 (New York City Department of Buildings, 2007, p. 5 – 8). The setting in New York gives us hint that the regulations imposed forced builders and contractors to provide innovation to construct buildings in lower costs while providing a quality and sustainable houses and buildings.
Experts of the National Fire Protection Association such as Francis Brannigan and Glenn Corbett studied the specific developments in building construction with focus on fire safety and prevention.Their book Brannigan’s Building Construction for the Fire Service (Fourth Edition) commenced by giving an overview on construction principles, then the building codes and then the features of fire protection. There are chapters that discussed each major type of construction which are the wood frame, heavy timber and mill constructions, ordinary non-combustible and fire-resistive constructions. Each chapter puts light on the changes in the context of fire safety and prevention.
