Influence of Fire Resilience Requirement on the Sustainability of Concrete Slabs

Concrete is one of the most widely used construction materials, with cement being a key component. However, cement production is associated with a significant carbon footprint. To address this issue, there is a growing demand to partially replace cement with less carbon-intensive binders to create sustainable concrete structures. The chemical composition of these new binders changes the fire resilience requirement of sustainable concrete, which affects the design of concrete slabs. Consequently, changes in concrete volume and cement quantity are expected in the construction of sustainable concrete slabs. This study aimed to investigate how the changes in fire resilience requirements influenced the changes in concrete volume and cement requirements for slab construction. The study involved designing numerous concrete slabs with different spans, loads, and durability conditions as per standard, focusing on minimising the slab thickness. The slabs were then redesigned to meet various fire resilience requirements, and the changes in concrete volume and cement content were compared with the standard design. The study’s findings indicated that changes in fire resilience requirements significantly affected concrete slab design, leading to adjustments in concrete volume and cement quantity. Therefore, the study highlighted the importance of considering fire resilience in the design and construction of sustainable concrete structures with implications for the cement industry and construction sector, which are significant contributors to global carbon emissions.