Evaluation

Regulatory services

Worksite assessment of fire resistance

The worksite assessment request procedure takes place before the construction phase of a building. It is generally issued to the holder at the request of a building control office commissioned for a worksite.

It consists of an expert opinion on a system whose fire behavior has already been assessed elsewhere but under conditions that differ from the new worksite. It is based on the analysis of the technical file, supported by experimental data and, occasionally, calculations and the results of digital simulation. It usually does not include a new fire resistance test.

Since 2000, the CSTB has been involved in more than 2,000 worksite assessments for a wide range of building components. To best meet the needs of stakeholders, worksite assessments are carried out quickly.

Requests for worksite assessments are made in accordance with article 14 of the order of March 22, 2004, as amended.

Laboratory evaluation of fire resistance

Laboratory evaluations certify the fire performance of products, building components and works. They can take various forms, depending on the case:

  • Extension of a classification report for a component. The impact of the proposed modification is evaluated based on a supporting report, without new testing.
  • Proof of the fire performance of an innovative system as part of a Technical Appraisal procedure (ATec) or Technical Application Document (DTA) when it is not submitted by the designer or when the available test reports do not cover the claimed area of application. Many types of systems are covered: new types of concrete, thermal breaks, insulation techniques, metal structures, wood assemblies, etc.

To certify the fire performance of a system, the laboratory evaluation may review experimental results, calculations, digital simulations and knowledge acquired from real fires.

Requests for laboratory evaluations are made in accordance with articles 13 and 18 and appendix 4 of the order of March 22, 2004, as amended.

Assessment of engineering studies on fire resistance and reaction to fire

Fire engineering studies for products, construction components and works must obtain a favorable assessment by an approved laboratory before its application in a construction work.

Fire engineering studies consist in determining realistic thermal activity by examining fire scenarios that use information on the nature (amount and rate of heat release) of combustible materials likely to be involved in a fire and the ventilation conditions. The response of a construction work to thermal activity is calculated and, if necessary, improvement measures are proposed. Assessments of fire engineering studies offer new insight by analyzing target safety objectives, specific performance criteria, fire scenarios, and the relevance of the assumptions used and models created for the studies.

The assessment conclusions are then communicated by the requester to the competent safety committees.

Requests for assessments of fire engineering studies are made in accordance with article 15 of the order of March 22, 2004, as amended, or article 105 of the order of January 31, 1986, as amended.