Protecting Society from Fires with Fire Engineering Research

35 years of research on fire engineering have contributed to building fire safety and atrium fire engineering. Focusing on fire spread and control for buildings, the research on fire models, fire suppression systems, fire safety of different types of buildings, and indoor aerodynamics has advanced knowledge, solved practical engineering problems and informed quality teaching. Since 1998, research results have been applied to assist the government in reviewing fire safety provisions for big construction projects while implementing a fire engineering approach. Prof. CHOW Wan-Ki and his research group, have served the Hong Kong government departments concerned in the past 20 years, assessing construction projects with respect to a fire engineering approach and steering the development of the code of practices for fire safety. Their contributions have ensured a comfortable, safe and healthy environment for tall, sustainable buildings with large space volumes as well as for infrastructure located deep underground. With the appointment of Prof. Asif USMANI (2016) and Dr HUANG Xinyan (2017), BEEE has expanded its fire research and education capacity considerably in the areas of structural responses to fire, performance based engineering for fire resistance, smouldering and wildland fires and fires in spacecraft.

The wildfire was approaching the city of San Diego in the Summer of 2003