Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV) are increasingly adopted in the transition toward sustainable and net-zero energy buildings. However, their integration into building envelopes introduces new fire safety challenges that are not fully addressed by current codes, standards, testing methodologies, and engineering analysis approaches, particularly in relation to fire modelling.
This webinar presents a structured overview of fire safety considerations for BIPV systems across four key areas.
• First, it reviews current fire safety code requirements and highlights regulatory gaps associated with BIPV applications.
• Second, it discusses fire safety engineering analysis methods, including existing testing approaches and the limitations and gaps in current test standards.
• Third, it introduces newly developed fire modelling methods specifically tailored to BIPV-related fire scenarios.
• Finally, it presents initial comparative fire hazard analysis and a building-level fire risk assessment, examining how the adoption of BIPV affects overall fire risk and necessitates risk-informed adjustments in building design.
The session aims to connect regulatory frameworks, engineering methods, and research advancements to support risk-informed fire safety design for buildings incorporating BIPV.