Brandadskillelse

Brandadskillelse, commonly translated as fire separation, is a concept in building design that creates boundaries to prevent the spread of fire and smoke between different areas or occupancies. It encompasses structural and architectural measures intended to contain a fire to its origin and to protect adjacent spaces.

The primary goals of brandadskillelse are life safety and property protection. By maintaining tenable conditions for occupants to evacuate and by restricting fire growth, fire separation helps preserve structural integrity, reduce smoke propagation, and limit economic losses. It also supports continuity of operations in occupied or critical spaces.

Key components include passive and active elements. Passive measures are fire-resistant construction components such as fire-rated walls, floors, and ceilings, fire doors with appropriate hardware, fire-rated partitions, and fire stopping around penetrations. Active measures may include automatic sprinkler systems, smoke detection, and alarm signaling that enhance the overall effectiveness of the separation. Proper design also requires sealing and management of penetrations, shafts, ducts, and service lines to avoid bypass paths for fire and smoke.

Brandadskillelse is specified by national or regional building codes and standards, with fire-resistance ratings expressed in hours for different assemblies (for example, walls, floors, doors). The required ratings depend on occupancy, risk, and location within the building, and designs must ensure continuity of the fire-resisting boundaries through all connections and penetrations.

Maintenance and inspection are essential, including regular checks of seals, doors, and penetrations. Modifications typically require reevaluation of the fire-separation strategy to preserve its effectiveness.