At the end of May, SC 15 "Performance description of houses" opened a ballot on a proposed new project, ISO/NP 15928-7 Houses – Description of performance – Part 7: Wildfire performance. The ballot stays open until 28 August.
The objective of the ISO 15928 series is to identify the methods used to describe the performance of houses. The ISO 15928 series is confined to buildings occupied for residential purposes that may be separated or linked horizontally, but not linked vertically, and which have their own access and do not share any common space.
Each part of ISO 15928 relates to a separate attribute. The parts of ISO 15928 do not specify levels of performance and they are not intended to replace national standards or regulations, but provide a standardized framework to be used for development of national standards and regulations consistent with World Trade Organization (WTO) requirements. The parts of ISO 15928 do not provide design methods and/or design criteria.
Based on the framework provided by the ISO 15928 series, purchasers, regulators and standards-preparers in respective countries can describe their requirements in standardized performance terms, as appropriate. Additionally, the manufacturers/providers can respond by describing the performance of their products in a similar manner.
The purpose of this seventh part of ISO 15928 is to set out a method for describing the wildfire performance of houses. It covers objectives, provides performance descriptions and outlines the evaluation processes. It includes the description of relevant parameters for embers, radiation and flame actions, and measures required to reduce the likelihood of ignition.
If the proposal is approved, the work will be undertaken in SC 15/WG 1 under the leadership of Dr Lam Pham (Australia).