Edward Pagac reveals why passive fire protection must balance performance, efficiency and sustainability.
McKinsey research highlights that improving construction productivity is no longer optional, as projects face increasing complexity, tighter schedules and ongoing challenges in coordinating across stakeholders. These pressures force the industry to rethink how critical systems, including fire protection, are specified, applied and evaluated.
Today, engineers, architects and contractors must meet higher expectations for performance, schedule and sustainability simultaneously. Infrastructure (everything from high-rise apartments to data centers) has grown more complex, construction timelines have tightened and sustainability has grown in importance, placing new and often competing demands on passive fire protection systems. Project teams can no longer rely on a fire rating alone as a measure of success. They must understand how a system performs under real conditions, including how it responds to the structural, environmental and operational demands a building will face over its lifetime.
Changing expectations for structural fire protection
Steel continues to define modern construction because it enables faster builds and greater design flexibility. Its performance in fire conditions remains critical. As temperatures rise, steel rapidly loses strength, and at approximately 593°C, it can lose roughly half of its load-bearing capacity, which places the structure at significant risk without adequate protection.
For decades, designers approached fire protection through standard time-based requirements, with 30, 60 or 90-minute ratings serving as typical benchmarks. That baseline no longer reflects current expectations. Higher occupancy levels, more complex layouts and increased regulatory scrutiny are pushing projects toward longer protection periods, with advanced systems offering up to four hours of fire resistance. These extended timeframes play a direct role in life safety by maintaining structural stability long enough to support safe evacuation and give emergency responders the time and conditions they need to access, assess and control the incident.
New types of structures are also driving building code revisions that more accurately represent building uses and occupancy levels. For example, the International Building Code (IBC) is in the process of developing a dedicated set of guidelines for data centers that address the unique conditions and risks found in data center facilities from onsite power generation to heat management systems.
The pressure to build faster
Speed now defines many construction projects, particularly for data centers. This urgency influences decisions at every stage of the build, including how fire protection systems are selected and applied.
These pressures become even more apparent in modular construction. Structural sections are fabricated offsite and transported across regions, sometimes across continents, before assembly. This approach reduces construction timelines but introduces new demands on fire protection systems. Coatings must withstand transport, handling and installation without damage, as repair work on assembled or stacked modules can be difficult or, in some cases, impractical.
Projects using modular techniques in global supply chains highlight an additional challenge. Components manufactured in one country often need to meet fire protection requirements in another, requiring alignment with local standards while maintaining durability throughout transit. In these cases, fire protection systems must deliver both certified fire performance and resilience during construction.
For instance, a United Arab Emirates (UAE) developer partnered with a modular builder in China to deliver a high-rise residential tower using prefabricated units, aiming to accelerate the construction schedule and reduce cost while meeting strict local fire protection requirements. Modules were fully fabricated and coated in China, then shipped for assembly in the UAE, requiring the fire protection system to meet destination standards and to withstand transport, handling and installation without damage.
The team selected a thin-film intumescent system suited for controlled shop application, enabling consistent coating in a factory setting while providing the durability needed for transit and erection. By aligning specification with UAE codes and prioritizing mechanical resilience, the project minimized on-site repairs and demonstrated that modular high-rise construction can meet demanding fire protection requirements when durability, compliance and constructability are addressed from the outset.
It’s also important to note the importance of single direct‑to‑metal solutions. Project teams continue to look for ways to reduce the number of application steps. Traditional systems often require multiple layers, including primer, fire-protection coating and topcoat, each adding time and complexity. Simplifying those systems while maintaining performance has become a key factor in improving construction efficiency.
Sustainability becomes a practical requirement
Owners and developers expect materials that align with sustainability targets while still meeting performance requirements. Waterborne and low-volatile organic compounds (VOC) coatings continue to gain traction, particularly for onsite applications, where they help support better working conditions and help reduce environmental impact. Environmental Product Declarations and similar documentation now help specifiers compare systems based on measurable environmental data rather than assumptions.
Even with this shift, performance remains non-negotiable. A system that reduces emissions but fails to provide durability or fire resistance poses an unacceptable risk. The industry continues to prioritize solutions that address environmental and performance requirements together, rather than treating them as competing objectives.
Performance and success
Performance remains the foundation of any fire protection system. Standards such as Underwriters Laboratories (UL) 263 and American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) E119 have strengthened the way engineers evaluate fire resistance by simulating real-world conditions.
This reflects how fire protection systems behave in practice. These systems do not operate in isolation. Their effectiveness depends on how they interact with the structure and with other coatings in the system.
Testing individual components no longer provides sufficient assurance. Engineers must evaluate complete systems to confirm compatibility and performance under real-world conditions. If those elements do not function together as intended, the system can fail before it provides meaningful protection.
Durability has also taken on greater importance. Fire protection coatings are expected to withstand handling, transportation and environmental exposure long before a fire event occurs. Damage during these stages can compromise protection and reduce confidence in long-term performance.
A shift in global standards
As construction becomes more global, consistency in fire testing and certification continues to grow in importance. Regional standards once guided most specifications, but global projects now require greater alignment to avoid complexity and risk. Standards continue to gain broader acceptance because they provide clear, consistent criteria that can apply across regions.
The phase-out of certain legacy standards introduces new considerations for specifiers responsible for long-term compliance and insurability. Selecting the appropriate standard directly affects approvals, insurance requirements and long-term asset viability. Global insurers report that projects relying on these BS certifications may face greater scrutiny compared to systems aligned with globally evolving standards such as UL or EN.
A more integrated approach
Passive fire protection plays a broader role within a building’s overall performance strategy. Owners expect systems that maintain performance throughout the asset’s life. Engineers and specifiers require reliable data and clear standards. Contractors depend on materials that allow them to work efficiently while maintaining consistent quality. When these align, fire protection contributes directly to the resilience, performance and long-term value of the structure.
Originally published in Fire & Safety Journal Americas.