IDF - Fire Safety Engineering

🔥 𝐀𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐚 𝐒𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚 𝐆𝐢𝐮𝐥𝐢𝐚 𝐢𝐧 𝐌𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐧: 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐞 𝐒𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐥 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐜𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞𝐬

On the occasion of the Milano-Cortina Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Arena Santa Giulia has become one of the most symbolic projects within the Italian infrastructural landscape, where architecture, structural engineering, and safety are seamlessly integrated.
In this context, IDF – Ingegneria del Fuoco contributed to the design of the fire safety strategy, with a specific focus on verifying the fire resistance of steel structural elements and determining the required protection thicknesses needed to meet the prescribed performance requirements.
The activity involved the analysis of steel structural members under fire conditions and the dimensioning of passive fire protection systems based on the main calculation parameters, with the aim of identifying, for each structural element, the minimum effective thickness required to achieve the specified fire resistance rating.
The project forms part of a high-level engineering ecosystem involving leading international industry operators, including Cimolai Group, a global reference in complex steel structures.
In projects of this scale, fire safety is not merely a regulatory requirement, but an engineering process that directly affects the resilience of the infrastructure and the protection of people.
For IDF – Ingegneria del Fuoco, contributing to a project connected to a global event such as the Olympic Games meant placing expertise, methodology, and responsibility at the service of an infrastructure destined to leave a lasting mark.
Safety is what you do not see.
But it is what allows everything else to continue to exist.

hashtag

When discussing floor coverings such as vinyl, PVC, wood, or carpet, one of the fundamental aspects to consider is reaction to fire.
These materials can only be classified following specific laboratory tests carried out according to the standard EN 13501-1, which defines the evaluation criteria and performance classes.
It is important to emphasize that the classification obtained does not depend only on the material itself, but also on the substrate on which it is laid and the installation conditions.
A floor tested in the laboratory with a specific type of underlay or adhesive, for example, maintains its validity only if installed in the identical manner on site.
This aspect is often underestimated, but it is decisive for guaranteeing the correct performance in the event of a fire and for avoiding disputes during the inspection phase.
Fire safety design therefore requires attention not only to the product choice, but also to compliance with the conditions that allowed for its classification.

BIM design proves to be an extremely valuable tool even in the fire protection field. In many cases, the structural model requires the implementation of the intumescent coating thicknesses to be applied to steel or reinforced concrete elements.
During the construction phase, this allows for the immediate identification—once profiles and connections are installed—of the required level of protection for each component.
This provides a tangible advantage on complex job sites, where variations in thickness are frequent and depend on profiles, loads, and critical temperatures. When used comprehensively, BIM thus becomes an essential support for the operational management of fire protection.

When discussing the fire resistance of steel structures, one immediately thinks of the limited ability of the metal to withstand high temperatures. This is true: when subjected to the ISO 834 standard fire curve, steel rapidly loses its mechanical properties. For this reason, in most cases, it is protected with intumescent coatings or specific fireproof coverings.
However, there are situations where a careful analysis leads to different conclusions. Consider, for example, lightweight canopies or roofs supporting sandwich panels or corrugated sheets: structures characterized by low loads, especially under fire conditions. In such cases, it is possible to calculate the stresses using the specific load combinations required for the fire situation, taking into account permanent loads and a reduced portion of variable ones.
By then carrying out the cross-sectional checks according to Eurocode 3, it is often found that steel members are able to meet the required fire resistance level, even without any additional protection.
The outcome is twofold: on the one hand, there is the assurance that the structure complies with safety requirements; on the other hand, there is a tangible saving, avoiding unnecessary protective measures while also simplifying future maintenance

☀️ Happy Holidays from IDF! ☀️
Summer is the perfect time to recharge, spend quality time with yourself and your loved ones, and find new inspiration. On behalf of the entire IDF team, we wish our clients, partners, and collaborators a summer season full of peace, smiles, and satisfaction.

📌 IDF will remain open for most of August, ensuring continuity for your projects, though with reduced operations to allow our team to enjoy some well-deserved rest.
📅 We will be closed from August 12th to 18th for the Ferragosto holiday break.

Thank you for the trust you place in us every day. Upon our return, we’ll be ready—more enthusiastic than ever—to face new challenges together and build shared successes.