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Concepts of a Performance-Based Building Regulatory System for the United States. Report of the 1996 Activities of the SFPE Focus Group on Concepts of a Performance-Based System for the United States.

Published

Author(s)

B J. Beacham

Abstract

The United States' building and fire communities have recently begun transitioning towards the implementation of performance-based building regulations and the use of performance-based fire safety engineering. As a means to facilitate discussion and gain insight as to the potential structure of a performance-based building regulatory system for the United States, and to help the Society of Fire Protection Engineers place the engineering aspects of such a system into perspective, the SFPE Focus Group on Concepts of a Performance-Based System for the United States was created in March 1996. This group, which represents a wide cross-section of the United States' building and fire communities, provided key input on such issues as why the United States is moving towards a performance-based system, how such a system might be structured, what components will be required for such a system to work, and what education and qualification issues need to be addressed. The conceptual framework for a performance-based system that was used as the basis of discussion, the comments received on that conceptual framework, and a summary of the focus group discussion and consensus on a performance-based system for the United States are provided.
Citation
Grant/Contract Reports (NISTGCR) - 98-762
Report Number
98-762

Keywords

building codes, computer models, fire codes, fire protection engineering, fire safety, fire safety evaluation system, histories, International Standards Org., life safety code, NFPA 101, performance based codes, risk analysis

Citation

Beacham, B. (1998), Concepts of a Performance-Based Building Regulatory System for the United States. Report of the 1996 Activities of the SFPE Focus Group on Concepts of a Performance-Based System for the United States., Grant/Contract Reports (NISTGCR), National Institute of Standards and Technology, Gaithersburg, MD, [online], https://tsapps.nist.gov/publication/get_pdf.cfm?pub_id=917023 (Accessed March 28, 2024)
Created November 1, 1998, Updated August 13, 2014