Fire Resistance in Historic Buildings (MSc Dissertation)
By: L.A. Wahab MSc.Dissertation (2001), University of Portsmouth,UK ABSTRACT Over the centuries, fire has continually caused injury, loss of life and destruction of property. Fire can also destroy the national priceless heritage, which is historic buildings. It has been accepted as a fact, that as buildings become older, the less fire protection is required. Hence, more people are placed at risk from fire than before. An outbreak of fire in historic buildings often has more serious consequences than it has on a modern building. This is because of the large amount of timber in the construction and the building structure and fabric is weak in fire resistance. Many historic buildings in Portsmouth are considerable of architectural and historical importance and their destruction by fire is an irreplaceable loss. It should be well kept and protected from fire danger at all time. Lessons of major fires in historic buildings such as Hampton Court Palace and Windsor Castle, is that every build...