Establishing the location and size of services riser shafts should be done first and then the usable space designed around them. Routes for services can then be defined and followed by the design team. Knowledge of the substrate material and thickness, together with the service material and dimensions allows the PFP designer to provides a range of fire stopping options.

Changes to substrates and/or services can be accommodated within the options or might result in rework.

Retrofits of existing buildings throughout New Zealand, including the refurbishment of leaky buildings, have in recent years uncovered widespread issues with passive fire construction. In many cases, the cost of remediation of passive fire protection has increased the cost of projects dramatically and led to only partial remediation to “as nearly as reasonably practicable”. These are known as engineering judgments, a time-consuming and expensive process to obtain Building Consent Authority approval.

Resolving Passive Fire Protection detailing on-site is inevitably a time-consuming and costly exercise and should be avoided, if at all possible.

Passive Fire Protection can run concurrently with the building design when staged accordingly.