Passive fire detailed so it can actually be installed.
Passive fire is the most commonly under-documented element of an Australian building and the most commonly defective one at inspection. The reason is rarely the design intent — it is that the details were never drawn against the real service penetrations, the real substrates or the tested systems available to the installer. We document passive fire against the federated model, tied to specific tested and certified systems, so the certifier is assessing installed work rather than intent.
Scope, by project stage.
Stated by stage so you can see exactly what is included at the point you are engaging us — and what is not.
Concept and feasibility
- Fire compartmentation strategy
- Fire resistance level schedule by element
- Early identification of separation constraints on the plan
Development Application
- Compartmentation and separation documentation
- Coordination with the fire engineer where compartmentation is part of a performance solution
Construction Certificate
- Fire and smoke wall documentation with FRL schedules
- Penetration typical details referenced to tested systems
- Structural fire protection requirements
- Fire damper and shaft documentation coordinated with mechanical
- Specification identifying acceptable tested systems and evidence of suitability
Construction phase
- Installer submission and system substitution review
- Site inspection of representative penetrations
- Evidence of suitability review
- Certification support
Three positions we hold on passive fire protection.
These are the decisions that determine whether the package works. They are made early, and they are the ones we will argue about.
Detail against real penetrations, not typical ones
A typical detail that does not match the service bundle actually passing through the wall is a defect waiting to be found. We take penetration locations and service bundles from the federated model, which is what makes the details installable.
Name the tested system
Passive fire compliance rests on evidence of suitability for a specific tested system in a specific substrate. Specifying a generic fire rating and leaving system selection to the installer is how projects arrive at certification with no evidence trail.
Substitutions get assessed, not accepted
Product substitution during construction is normal and often sensible. Assessing whether the proposed system carries valid evidence for the actual condition is the part that gets skipped, and it is the part we do.
Sectors and framework.
Compliance is the floor. Constructability, maintainability and long-term value carry equal weight.
Sectors
Design framework
- NCC Volume One Specification 5 and Section C
- AS 1530.4
- AS 4072.1
- AS 1905.1
- Evidence of suitability under NCC A5
Recent projects.
Residential, education, student accommodation, hospitality, alpine and industrial projects delivered across Australia.
All projects
Passive Fire Protection.
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Because it is a distinct body of documentation, a distinct certification path and a distinct defect profile from active fire systems. Treating it as a sub-item of fire protection is precisely why it is so often under-documented.
Yes. Representative penetration inspection during construction is scoped explicitly, because passive fire defects are concealed by later trades and become very expensive to remediate.
Yes — audit of existing compartmentation and penetrations, gap identification and a remediation schedule. This is common on refurbishment and on buildings preparing an annual fire safety statement.
A test report or assessment from an accredited testing authority demonstrating that the specific system, in the specific substrate, with the specific services passing through it, achieves the required FRL. Anything less is an assumption.
Usually engaged alongside this.
Fire Protection
Sprinkler, hydrant, detection and suppression design, including performance solutions where prescriptive compliance constrains the project.
BIM & Digital Engineering
Federated models, clash resolution and coordinated documentation that resolve conflict in design rather than on site.
Mechanical Engineering
HVAC, ventilation and thermal comfort designed for buildability, efficient plant space and long-term performance.
Have a project that needs passive fire protection?
Tell us the scope, the stage and the deadline. We will come back with a clear fee proposal.