Fire Protection for Public Assembly Spaces: Bars, Restaurants, Halls

Solutions & Applications · Fire Protection

In a bar, nightclub, restaurant or function room, fire rarely kills through the flames. It kills through smoke, within a matter of minutes — and what is produced is determined by the materials already in the walls and ceiling, long before the fire brigade arrives.

Why these spaces are different

Condition	Consistency in drainage
High population density	Evacuation times are increasing; queues at the exits
The general public is unfamiliar with the sector	He instinctively heads towards the entrance through which he came in, not towards the nearest exit
Low lighting, high noise levels	Perception of risk lags behind
Decorative cladding throughout	A large area of material exposed in the space — that is where the spread begins
Suspended ceiling with concealed cavity	Horizontal smoke and flame spread above partitions

The critical factor is not the durability of the building — it is the time available before the space becomes uninhabitable. And it is the materials that determine that time.

Foam panel or acoustic ceiling A2-s1,d0?

	Foam acoustic panel	A2-s1,d0 acoustic ceiling
Sound absorption	Good	αw up to 1.00 — Category A
Ignition	Immediate	Practically non-combustible
Smoke	Dense, toxic	s1 — minimum
Flammable droplets	Yes	d0 — none
Classification documentation	Often non-existent	Declaration of performance by product code

The four stages of construction

1. The cladding that people see

It is the largest exposed surface area in the space and the first to be inspected. Requirement: A1 or A2-s1,d0 materials on walls and ceilings, with classification documentation provided by product code — not by product range.

• Mineral fibre acoustic ceilings with high αw and A2-s1,d0 ratings — addressing both reverberation and fire safety simultaneously.
• Wood-fibre boards where a natural, warm appearance is required — with sound absorption.
• Metal ceilings in areas with high footfall and humidity, where cleanliness is also required.
• FIREBOARD A1 fire-resistant board, where the design requires a non-combustible surface and not merely fire resistance.

2. Escape routes

Corridors and stairwells must remain passable for the duration of the evacuation. This means fire-rated partitions with a certified EI rating around them — and, crucially, without the features that invalidate the certification: unsealed penetrations, side-by-side sockets, and shared access hatches.

3. High-risk areas

Kitchens and utility rooms, storerooms, electrical distribution boards and plant rooms are the most common points of origin for fires. They are isolated by a fire-rated structure, so that the fire remains where it started for as long as specified in the design. In kitchens subject to damp and washing, moisture- and fire-resistant DFH2 or cement board is used.

4. The suspended ceiling

A fire-rated partition that stops at the suspended ceiling is not a fire-rated partition. The void above the suspended ceiling is continuous throughout the entire storey; if the partition ends at its framework, smoke and flames pass over it and spread into the adjacent space — the kitchen, the storeroom or the stairwell.

The rule: partition walls are constructed from slab to slab, with a seal at the top edge that allows the slab to move. The suspended ceiling is fitted afterwards. And it must remain in place: a framework without lateral bracing will sway during an earthquake or under impact pressure, and the slabs will fall directly onto the escape routes.

What the regulations require

Under the current fire safety regulations (Presidential Decree 41/2018), public assembly spaces constitute a distinct category of use with heightened requirements. For large venues — accommodating more than 1,000 people — the use of non-combustible insulation materials in cladding is expressly required.

In practice, the reaction to fire for cladding and the required fire resistance of structural elements are set out in the fire protection design for the specific premises. Procurement follows the study — and the supplier is required to provide documentation for each item code: a declaration of performance, classification in accordance with EN 13501-1 and, where an EI rating is required, the certified system with its exact composition.

Before the venue opens: 6 questions

Question	Correct answer
What classification do wall and ceiling cladding systems have?	A1 or A2-s1,d0, with a declaration of performance for each product code
Are the acoustic panels made of foam?	No — acoustic ceiling or classified panels
Do the partition walls of the corridors extend to the floor slab?	Yes, with top-end sealing
Are the penetrations sealed?	With a certified fire barrier, not foam
Are the kitchen and the dining area separate?	Fire-rated construction in the design stage
Does the suspended ceiling have side fixings?	Yes — it does not fall within the guidelines

The mistake that costs the most

It is not a matter of choosing cheap materials during the construction phase. It is a subsequent intervention: the space is handed over using certified materials, and a year later decorative panels, wooden cladding or sound-absorbing foam panels are added to ‘improve the acoustics’.

From that moment on, the space no longer complies with its fire safety design. And what is most dangerous is that nobody is recording this, because the alteration was considered to be purely decorative.

Acoustic Ceilings — Sound Absorption with Fire Safety

Fire-rated Partitions & Escape Routes

Kitchens, Storage Rooms & Wet Rooms

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