Cost-benefit analysis of fire-protected steel buildings for vehicle storage

Fire safety plays a central role in the design of industrial steel buildings due to the high vulnerability of the material to elevated temperatures. Although fire safety engineering provides advanced tools to optimize structural design, the widespread adoption of a performance-based approach for protected structures is still hindered by significant regulatory gaps. In this study an integrated methodology for assessing fire vulnerability through fragility curves is presented and validated through the application to a representative steel building, intended for vehicle storage. The analysis is carried out with respect to 36 realistic fire scenarios, considering both unprotected configuration and protected with sprayed plaster of different thickness. The resulting fragility curves serve as basis to develop a cost-benefit analysis aimed at identifying the most effective protective solution, conjugating technical performance in fire and economic sustainability. The study, thus, offers a contribution in the perspective of using the performance-based approach to improve the decision-making process within the design of passive fire protection.