Facade System and Material Selection Choices to Prevent Fire Spreading in the Commercial Building

Abstract

Fire incidents in commercial buildings pose significant risks to life safety, property, and urban resilience, especially when accelerated by combustible facade systems. This research systematically investigates facade systems and material selection strategies to prevent vertical fire spread in commercial buildings through a comprehensive analysis of 13 international fire incidents and performance-based simulation modeling. The primary objective is to identify and categorize facade materials used in commercial buildings, determine factors influencing fire behavior in facade systems, and develop evidence-based material selection and design modifications to enhance fire safety. The study employed a mixed methodology combining literature review, secondary case study analysis, gap analysis of Indian building codes, and computational fire dynamics simulations using PyroSim/FDS software. Key findings reveal that aluminium composite panels (ACPs) with polymer cores are implicated in 30.77% of facade fire incidents, with rain screen facade systems representing the highest risk category at 46.15% of analyzed cases. The research identifies critical factors influencing vertical fire propagation, including material combustibility (heat release rates of 20.9–48.4 × 10³ kJ/kg for common polymers versus 3 × 10³ kJ/kg for mineral wool), facade geometry effects, ventilation cavity dynamics, and installation detailing inadequacies. Computational simulations demonstrated that replacing polyethylene cores with mineral wool cores in ACP systems reduces peak facade temperatures by 60–80°C and significantly delays vertical flame spread. Additionally, 300mm architectural projections were shown to increase glazing fire resistance from 21.5 to 240 minutes, representing a 1000% improvement. The study’s practical implications include specific material replacement strategies, optimized facade geometries, and performance-based design recommendations that can immediately inform construction industry practices. The findings support updating Indian building codes with comprehensive facade fire testing requirements and establishing a framework for evidence-based material selection in high-rise commercial construction.