Presenter: Brian Meacham, Louis Gritzo, Daniel O'Connor, Tracy Vecchiarelli and Amanda Kimball

This session will be a panel presentation and discussion on the challenges and opportunities for fire safety design in sustainable buildings. The outcomes of a research effort undertaken by the Fire Protection Research Foundation that involved the documentation of a set of green building design elements that increase safety hazards as well as best practices for hazard risk mitigation will be discussed. This session will explore how fire protection research and other critical thinking activities are contributing to sustainability goals. Research in the areas of fire detection, fire suppression, HVLS fan technology, building design and others will be presented, demonstrating that fire safety features and systems applications can be resolved to provide for more efficient, sustainable design. “Green” certifications have been a hot topic in the past few years. Building owners and designers looking to meet these “green” certifications have made changes to building design, technology, and materials. How do these changes relate to fire safety? This discussion will provide an overview of green certifications and how they are being addressed by codes and standards.