Call for Case Study Presentations

The SFPE Fire Safety Conference on Performance-Based Design will be held in person April 15 - 17, 2026, in Singapore.

Case Study Presentations have been a major feature of previous SFPE performance-based conferences, and are very well regarded by delegates. You will see there is a strong emphasis on performance-based design and fire engineering solutions, and the Case Studies reflect this desire for an exploration of innovative solutions. The case study teams should not feel restricted by common codes and standards and unique and innovative solutions are encouraged. One of the primary goals of the exercise is the resulting non-critical discussion, comparison and reflection of the various proposed fire and life safety strategies.

For this conference, there are two (2) Case Study Building Specifications from which to choose and each team is invited to address one (1) of the two. The guidelines and details for the fire and life safety goals are included in the full specification documents for each case study scenario.

Case Study 1: Electric Vehicle Charging in High-Rise Car Parks

This case study evaluates performance-based fire safety strategies and challenges associated with integrating electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure into an existing multi-story car park serving residential and commercial occupancies. The scenario represents a realistic and evolving issue across Asia and globally, as governments and private owners accelerate the shift toward EV adoption while working within aging infrastructure.

The analysis emphasizes the evaluation of fire risk from EVs, practical trade-offs between safety and cost, and constraints of the existing building construction. The project requires the application of performance-based design principles to determine acceptable solutions under constrained conditions.

VIEW THE FULL CASE STUDY SPECIFICATION DOCUMENT HERE

Case Study 2: Existing Historic Building Adaptive Reuse

This case study presents an opportunity to explore the adaptive reuse of a historic industrial building for diplomatic and cultural purposes and to balance modern functionality with historical integrity.

The scenario is as follows: Your government has been generously gifted the use of an existing two-level historic building in a foreign country for diplomatic use. The building will be used for cultural and diplomatic events. The building is located in an unspecified location near the equator, which has a tropical climate that is very similar to the conference location. The building was originally a chocolate factory and warehouse associated with the shipping and trade of cacao beans. The local regulatory officials have waived the requirement for the building alterations and redevelopment to comply with any specific Building Code. The fire safety design may be carried out in accordance with a performance-based design approach from anywhere in the world. The only requirement is that the performance requirements and acceptance criteria are selected as the design basis for fire life safety, protection of property, and firefighters.

VIEW THE FULL CASE STUDY SPECIFICATION DOCUMENT HERE

Team Participation

Your Chapter/Organization is encouraged to build a team to develop the fire and life safety strategies for one of these Case Studies. The team may come from one company or organization or include other organizations/chapters if you want to partner on a specific design. Ideally, each team includes student members.

As you will see in the Case Study Specifications, we want the teams to be innovative in terms of building design/analysis and creative in terms of building solutions and fire safety strategies. For each Case Study Specification, there are no existing adopted codes or standards, and the teams are encouraged to solely utilize performance-based design methods, calculations, and modeling to develop the fire safety strategies.

The aim is to have six Case Studies in total. The Case Studies will be presented in the general sessions of the Conference Program. The intent is to have each of the Case Studies be from different countries and/or regions. However, this will ultimately depend on the submittals that are received and selected.

After each of the Case Study presentation sessions, there will be a non-critical panel discussion to compare and contrast the different regulatory regimes, the building solutions, the fire safety measures incorporated, the supporting analysis and modelling and any other key issues.

All Chapters/Organizations that submit a Case Study will be invited to submit reports for publication, and those not selected for presentation in the general sessions will have the opportunity to present their Case Study as a poster at the conference.

Proposal Submission

If your Chapter/Organization is keen to make a submittal for the opportunity to undertake the development of a Case Study, and to be able to present it in Singapore, we ask you to prepare a brief proposal, stating:

Which Case Study building type you will work on
Name the team who will undertake the work (including team leader and deputy)
Short CVs of the key individuals on the team
Why your Case Study should be one of the nine presented in general session
The team’s experience or interest in undertaking design and analysis of this type of building or similar
Your commitment to undertake the Case Study and meet the timeframes involved

We no longer accept case study proposals. We want to thank all teams that submitted proposals prior to October 27, 2025.

SUBMIT CASE STUDY PROPOSAL

Selection Process

The Program Committee will consider all case study proposals, with the aims to give coverage of both building types, and to have a reasonable spread across all regions globally, taking into account countries with well-developed performance-based regimes, but also those in developing or emerging markets. Selected case study teams will meet with the Program Committee members to have the opportunity to discuss the format and get answers to any questions that arise during the design process.

Timelines

Brief proposals (as outlined above) submitted to SFPE by October 27, 2025
Case Study team acceptance confirmation by November 23, 2025
Draft Case Study report submitted to SFPE by January 30, 2026
Draft PowerPoint Presentation submitted to SFPE by March 15, 2026
Final PowerPoint Presentation submitted to SFPE by April 10, 2026
Conference Dates are April 15-17, 2026

We look forward to your innovative contributions. The Case Studies have been an exciting part of the past international Performance-Based SFPE conferences and the 2026 conference in Singapore will be no different.

Questions? Please contact Hana Herron at hherron@sfpe.org.

Call for Case Studies