Modern developments often combine multiple uses under one roof: shops and cafés at ground level, offices above, and residential floors higher still. These mixed-use buildings bring economic and social value but also create some of the most complex fire safety challenges.
Different occupancies mean different risks, behaviours and legal duties. A robust, compliant fire strategy is essential to ensure every part of the building, and everyone in it, is protected.
Understanding the Challenge
In single-use buildings, fire strategy design can be straightforward. In a mixed-use setting, however, the interfaces between uses are critical. Retail areas have high footfall and open layouts; offices may use open-plan spaces and shared cores; residential zones introduce sleeping risk.
Fire engineers must consider:
- How fire and smoke are contained (compartmentation)
- How alarms and systems interact between occupancies
- How evacuation routes and responsibilities are defined
Without early coordination, conflicts can arise, e.g. a retail tenant altering layouts that breach a residential compartment wall, or differing alarm logic causing confusion during an evacuation.
Compartmentation: Contain and Protect
Compartmentation prevents a fire in one area spreading to another. In mixed-use buildings, this requires clear, robust fire-resisting boundaries between uses (e.g. between retail and residential).
Every wall, floor and service penetration must maintain its designed fire resistance. Any breach or unsealed opening can compromise the strategy and invalidate compliance.
At Commercial Fire Protection, we support clients by reviewing compartmentation drawings, inspecting passive fire protection, and ensuring barriers remain intact through construction and occupancy.
Multi-Occupancy Alarm Systems
Where multiple occupancies share a structure, alarm systems must communicate effectively without unnecessary disruption. A well-designed multi-occupancy alarm system should:
- Reflect compartmentation and evacuation zones
- Limit false alarms affecting unrelated areas
- Clearly indicate the affected zone
- Escalate alerts only when required
The fire strategy should define how alarms interface between uses, and who is responsible for maintaining each part of the system.
Evacuation Zones and Responsibilities
In complex buildings, evacuation is rarely “one size fits all.” Office workers may evacuate immediately, while residential occupants might be safer staying put behind fire-resisting construction until instructed otherwise.
Phased evacuation helps manage movement and maintain safe escape times. Each occupancy must have a clear Fire Emergency Evacuation Plan (FEEP) that outlines routes, refuge points and responsibilities.
For landlords and managing agents, ensuring that every occupier understands their duties is essential to comply with the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005.
Keeping Strategies Live
A fire strategy is not a static document. When layouts change or tenants alter spaces, the original strategy may no longer be valid. Regular review and re-approval are essential.
At Commercial Fire Protection, we act as your compliance partner – safeguarding people, property and assets. We help clients stay compliant through planned inspections, compartmentation checks, updates to FEEPs and alarm drawings; ensuring the fire strategy evolves with the building.
Your Compliance Partner
Mixed-use projects demand joined up thinking from design through occupation. Our fire engineers, passive protection specialists and assessors deliver practical, evidence-based fire strategies that meet regulatory requirements and stand up to scrutiny.
Whether you’re developing, refurbishing or managing a multi-use building, we’ll help you plan, verify and maintain a compliant fire strategy – from compartmentation and alarms to evacuation zones and responsibilities.
Talk to the Commercial Fire Protection team today to ensure your next project achieves safety by design, and remains compliant for the life of the building.
