The benefits of smoke control systems in buildings are well proven and for that reason they have become a legal requirement in certain types of buildings, in particular, for multiple occupancy residential developments – i.e. a block of apartments. In these cases, there must be provision for smoke ventilation in the public corridors and stairwells.

Should the building have a single staircase and is between 4.5m and 11m high but is not connected to a covered carpark, then a simple stairwell ventilator will suffice.

Once the residential building property is over 11m, then a smoke control system is mandatory, the exact requirements of which will depend upon various factors such as the furthest distance of an apartment to the staircase. This should not be more than 4.5m, however this distance can be extended to 7.5m if the corridor is naturally ventilated with an area of at least 1.5m².

Once a building is deemed as being a high-rise residential property, then as well as natural ventilation there may well be a requirement for a mechanical ventilation system as well.

Currently, this legislation applies to new build projects, but it is highly likely that similar requirements will be introduced as part of the fire safety strategy to existing builds, in particular as and when they are refurbished.