Fire Safety in Specialised Housing - Extra Care Housing
This Housing LIN briefing has been written with designers, providers and developers of housing with care in mind. It updates fire safety design and operational guidance and recommendations associated with Extra Care Housing (or their many variations) as included within the recently revised Code or Practice BS9991:2015 Fire Safety in the Design, Management and Use of Residential Buildings and, in particular, introduces the housing typology, 'Specialised Housing'.
As stated in the Code, "Specialised Housing contains a diverse range of accommodation where the residents are likely to be less mobile, have other impairments or are otherwise vulnerable to emergency situations". Furthermore, the code also refers to a 'person-centred' approach, stating: "designers need to consider the characteristics of the residents of the building and incorporate an appropriate range of fire precautionary measures to secure a suitable level of fire safety within the building".
In the light of the above, this means that, due to the increasing numbers of larger specialised housing developments coupled with an ageing population, long term 'future-proofing' must be considered from the outset at design feasibility stage, allowing for long term easy adaptation and tailoring of enhanced fire safety measures appropriate to the age profile and disability levels of specialised housing developments.