Meet the Speaker: Sara Hosseini

Sara Hosseini will be presenting on “Carbon and Cost Analysis of Fire Protection Scenarios for Steel Buildings” at Fire NZ. In this interview with Nicholas Dynon, she introduces her topic and describes her fire engineering journey.

With over a decade of experience in the building industry, Sara Hosseini has honed her expertise in various engineering disciplines, starting out as an architect then becoming a building engineer and facade engineer before transitioning to fire engineering.

She holds a Master of Fire Engineering from the University of Canterbury and has been with WSP for over six years, where she currently works as a Senior Fire Engineer.

“I am passionate on details of building and construction, with a keen focus on fire performance of cladding and building envelopes, states Sara. “I am particularly interested in the interface between structural fire engineering and sustainability, striving to integrate innovative fire safety solutions with environmentally responsible practices.”

Sara’s work is driven by a commitment to enhancing the safety and resilience of buildings while advancing sustainable construction methods.

ND: How did it all start? Where did your journey begin?

SH: For most people the journey starts with an undergraduate degree, but my background is a little different. I was a registered architect in my home country. Some parts of the fire engineering industry requirement were designed by the architect, such as the means of escape and the types of the material that is used in the building, and I was very interested in this aspect.

When I migrated to New Zealand in 2013 I took the opportunity to complete a Master of fire engineering at the University of Canterbury University. I also worked in a company that is a leader in facade and building envelope in New Zealand. This was during the Christchurch rebuild Christchurch, which gave me a very unique opportunity to work on some landmark commercial building projects in Christchurch and become familiar with the variety building envelope types, especially in the seismic environment.

As an architect, you don’t work directly with the building envelope, and so those three years were a great opportunity to gain familiarity with all the facade systems and the interfacing of the facade system with the structural design, and the fire design in terms of the fire performance of the cladding system.

Nowadays it’s very, very common to have cladding fires on high rise buildings. Grenfell tower was one of the key cases studies that changed the approach and regulation in the UK, and it also impacted on the International Building Code and also in Australia, Dubai, and many other countries.

This drove the introduction of and high demand for new product, although I think that the fire performance of cladding has not been researched or designed at the same speed of developments in the facade and building envelope.

I completed my Master’s degree parttime while working at WSP (formerly Opus), which was a great opportunity. As an architect, I was already familiar with many buildings and had a strong understanding of how to coordinate the various components of a project, such as working with structural engineers and building services.

This role allowed me to apply my architectural knowledge while also drawing on my experience as a facade engineer, combining these skills with fire performance and fire engineering. As a result, I’ve had the opportunity to conduct numerous cladding assessments across New Zealand and Australia.

One of the major projects I worked on was the Christchurch Convention Centre. It was a double skin building with complex, non-regular geometry, which made it challenging for engineers to fully understand potential fire pathways. This project was a valuable experience and a significant learning curve for me.

I graduated with distinction from Canterbury University, thoroughly enjoying the program. I’ve been with WSP for six years, working on a variety of projects, including commercial buildings, residential developments, hotels, schools, and large-scale multidisciplinary projects.

As a lead fire engineer, I often served as the main point of contact for coordination, and my background in architecture made it easier for me to collaborate with other disciplines. I’ve been in the building industry for over 12 years, with six of those focused on fire engineering.

I have a deep interest in the fire performance of structural systems, especially considering the growing focus on the environmental impact of building fires, which is a critical research area. The building and construction industry faces ongoing criticism for its low productivity, inefficiencies, and substantial contribution to carbon emissions.

The construction sector is responsible for around 40% of global carbon emissions—27% from operational carbon and 13% from materials, construction, and infrastructure. Structural components alone account for 50% to 70% of a building’s carbon emissions. That’s why it’s essential for design teams to collaborate with architects and other disciplines during the conceptual design phase when we can have the most influence on reducing environmental impact. Once a project is underway, making significant changes becomes much harder.

The research I’ve conducted, and the paper I’ll present at the conference, focuses on the carbon and cost analysis of fire protection for steel structures.

I explore various factors, such as the role of fire detection and suppression systems and how they can help reduce a building’s carbon emissions in terms of early detection, interfacing with the fire service operation, contaminated water, replacement of material, replacement of the new structure, and so on.

In my study, I focused on steel buildings and conducted a test using a universal I-beam steel section. I analysed different fire scenarios, including 30, 60, 90, and 120-minute fire ratings. The study compared two types of steel: conventional steel, which has a higher embodied carbon footprint, and a low-carbon alternative.

I also calculated the amount of intumescent fire protection coating required. This coating expands up to 50 times its size when exposed to fire, forming a protective barrier around the steel. This helps prevent the steel from overheating, as its strength dramatically decreases when exposed to high temperatures, potentially leading to building collapse in extreme cases.

The intumescent coating was calculated for various scenarios and steel types. In practice, during the concept design phase, I assess the original structural design and explore ways to optimise it, such as maintaining the same steel weight but adjusting the beam height.

I explored ways to reduce carbon emissions and found it intriguing that the level of fire protection plays a crucial role. For example, adding sprinklers can reduce the required fire rating by 50%. While a 30% reduction in fire rating may not seem significant, it can greatly affect carbon emissions, particularly for 120-minute fire ratings.

I also considered the life cycle analysis of steel structures, which requires looking at the entire process— from production and construction to the building’s lifespan, demolition, and recycling. The circular economy is a key factor when thinking about a building’s lifecycle.

As fire engineers, our influence on the design process is often indirect, as we typically collaborate with architects and other disciplines who drive material choices and design decisions.

However, I believe we can help shape new frameworks, potentially through MBIE or regulations, to encourage fire engineers to be involved earlier in the design process. This would enable us to work more effectively with other disciplines and guide fire performance requirements.

ND : What are the drivers that are motivating industry to consider sustainability in fire engineering? Is it the prospect regulatory requirements? Does it simply make better financial sense to consider sustainability in the design phase? Is it a tough sell to convince people who are making buildings to consider sustainability at that stage?

SH: That’s a very interesting question. Right now, the industry is in the early stages of exploring sustainability in fire engineering, and there’s still a significant gap between research and practical application. While regulatory requirements aren’t fully in place yet, we don’t have a clear framework. However, it’s much easier to address sustainability in the conceptual design phase, and this is where the focus should be.

Sustainability is becoming a critical pathway for all industries, particularly as we face global warming. Since the construction sector accounts for about 40% of global carbon emissions, it’s vital to prioritize sustainability. Fire engineers have a role to play here. Even though we don’t often lead design decisions, we can still contribute meaningfully by collaborating early in the process to help reduce emissions. Even a modest 3% reduction in both cost and carbon emissions can make a significant difference, especially in large projects. As awareness grows, it will likely make more financial sense to integrate sustainability into the design phase, but right now, it’s still a challenge to push that conversation forward. We need to help the industry understand the long-term benefits, both environmentally and financially, of adopting more sustainable practices.

ND : You’ve mentioned the value of being able to influence things as a fire engineer during the design phase rather than being brought in later in the process. As a fire engineer, do you find yourself being a frustrated architect?

SH: No, my experience is better than that, because I like to see the positive part of it! As fire engineers, we can look to collaborate with architects in a better way, because when the architects ask what is your solution, we typically provide them with the specifications and regulations.

Some architects may find that frustrating, because although the specifications and regulations are necessary, it doesn’t necessarily help them a great deal in terms of the design solution.

Understanding how architecture, structural engineering, and other components fit together, understanding the language of the other disciplines, and thinking about how our requirements might translate into the design at a high level can perhaps enable us to play a more helpful role.

Given my background, some of this perhaps comes more naturally to me. I am able, for example, to provide an architect with ideas at a very high level that they are then able to translate into a more detailed design in order to find a solution more easily.

Ultimately, it’s a profession I really enjoy. I’ve had a unique opportunity to experience three disciplines in building, and, as a result, filling what I see as a gap in in the sector.

With research still quite ahead of industry, I think we need more regulation, frameworks, and education in relation to sustainability, because this pathway is progressing very, very fast, and it’s important to all of us to keep up with the developments.