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Assessing Building Standards for Bushfire Prone Areas in Australia
Partenaire de mise en œuvre : Build Change
Project name: Assessing Building Standards for Bushfire Prone Areas: Including Merging Fires
This study evaluates Australian Standard AS 3959, which informs building design in bushfire-prone zones.
While the standard assumes a single fire front, real-world events often produce merging V-shaped fire fronts that generate intense heat. Through advanced modelling, the study assesses both radiative and convective heat impacts.
Its findings support improved bushfire classifications and more robust building standards to enhance safety and resilience in communities facing growing wildfire threats.
in urban suburbs
economic loss
from bushfires
Impact et résultats clés
1
The project revises bushfire building codes to account for complex fire behaviours like merging fronts, enhancing preparedness, and enabling forest-adjacent communities to better withstand extreme heat and reduce structural damage from wildfires.
2
The study analyzes heat transfer through radiation and convection to deepen understanding of bushfire behaviour, enhancing risk assessments and informing fire-resilient building designs for high-risk areas vulnerable to extreme heat exposure.
3
The revised framework informs national standards, equipping policymakers, builders, and planners to advance construction practices and strengthen preparedness for increasingly severe bushfire conditions driven by climate change and evolving environmental risk patterns.
