Multi-Family Fire Safe Construction
Codes & Standards
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Optimizing Your Construction and Initial Costs
Developers and owners seek to optimize time and minimize costs
while providing the most appropriate construction for the needs
of a community. Safety, durability, quality, and maintenance all
affect the decisions that developers must make regarding buildings
to be constructed. Non-combustible and masonry construction not
only provides superior fire protection benefits, but also satisfies
durability, quality, and maintenance needs easily and economically
through a variety of construction options. The variety of products
and systems available makes it easy to find concrete and masonry
solutions that fit your budget and your design and construction
schedules.
 Minimum
two-hour fire resistance-rated non-combustible walls may be constructed
using masonry, cast-in-place concrete, or precast/prestressed concrete.
Interim floors may be constructed using precast/prestressed concrete
plank or cast-in-place concrete. Minimum one-hour non-combustible
exterior walls may be masonry, cast-in-place, or precast/prestressed
concrete.
For multi-family construction, especially when there is a repetitive
floor plan, loadbearing concrete or masonry wall systems supporting
concrete floor systems are easy to design.
Load-bearing concrete or masonry walls and concrete floors also
facilitate the rest of the construction process. With many concrete
and masonry systems, once floors are placed, other trades may begin
work in the protected areas under the floors, significantly shortening
the construction schedule.
 The
initial cost of concrete or masonry is comparable to the cost of
less durable and less fire-resistant construction. A study by Walter
G. M. Scheider III, PhD, PE, Principal and Chief Engineer at John
C. Haas Associates, shows that the cost difference incurred with
concrete and masonry construction may be as low as 5%. And in one
of the three cities for which designs, code reviews and cost estimates
were developed, the cost of concrete and masonry construction was
3% less than wood frame construction for multi-family housing. More
information on the report.
The use of durable, non-combustible concrete and masonry construction
demonstrates to the community that the developer and owner are interested
in providing safe, durable, quality, low-maintenance construction
that is suited for the needs and the desires of the community.
There are a wide variety of options to consider for building projects.
Masonry walls may be erected using exposed architectural concrete
masonry units, concrete masonry with stucco or other finishes, clay
brick masonry, or composite or cavity walls of concrete and/or clay
masonry. For information on the options most appropriate for your
project, contact:
Concrete walls may be cast-in-place with removable forms, cast-in-place
with stay-in-place forms, tilt-up concrete, or precast/prestressed
concrete panels. For information on the options best suited for
your project, including available finishes, contact:
When it comes to building construction that effectively and economically
provides life safety and property protection, while establishing
a premier reputation for developers within their communities, there
is no comparison to non-combustible concrete and masonry construction.
For more information about combining smoke detectors, fire sprinklers,
and passive fire protection visit the Fire
Safety Construction Advisory Council.
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