The performance-based approach to fire safety design relies on the use of fire engineering principles, calculations and/or appropriate software modelling tools to satisfy the intentions of the Code of Practice for Fire Precautions in Buildings 2013 (Fire Code). This new approach provides alternative means of meeting the intentions of the Fire Code. Building practitioners will have the added flexibility in the application of fire safety for their buildings by having a choice of using the performance-based approach, the prescriptive approach or a combination of both.

The performance-based approach is unique in that its provisions spell out the intent of the code qualitatively but the means of achieving the desired intent of the code is open to the building practitioner. The building practitioner will need to substantiate that the proposed solution fully meets the intent of the Fire Code using established fire safety engineering methodology.

The performance-based regulatory system was officially launched on 1 July 2004.