Northern Ireland

In Northern Ireland new Building Regulations came into force in November 1994. The fire safety requirements for these regulations are supported by Technical Booklet E, (Figure 7) shown below, which contains provisions regarding structural fire resistance, compartmentation etc. similar to those in the Approved Document for England and Wales.

Unlike the provisions of the Approved Document, which are for guidance, the provisions of Technical Booklet E are deemed to satisfy the requirements of the Building Regulations. Where the provisions of the Technical Booklet are not followed, then the onus falls on the designer to show that the requirements of the regulations can be met by other means.