The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) conducted its building and
\nfire safety investigation of the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster of September 11,
\n2001, under the authority of the National Construction Safety Team (NCST) Act. The
\nNCST’s Final Report includes 30 recommendations that address (1) specific
\nimprovements to building standards, codes, and practices; (2) changes to, or the
\nestablishment of, evacuation and emergency response procedures; and, (3) research and
\nother appropriate actions needed to help prevent inappropriate future building failures in
\nfire situation. As part of NIST’s plan to implement the report’s recommendations
\nregarding new methods for fire resistance design of structures, NIST intends to develop
\nan international research and development (R&D) roadmap on the fire resistance of
\nstructures. To support the development of the roadmap, NIST held a workshop on large-
\nscale experimental and modelling fire resistance of structures research needs. NIST has
\ncommissioned three White Papers, to be used as the basis for technical discussions at the
\nworkshop. This effort will provide input for prioritizing and coordinating international
\nresearch activities and facilitate the development of advanced validated tools for the
\nperformance-based engineering fire resistant design of structures.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"