Sawtooth Factory Roofs

[Cullenloon]

Morning all

Quick question about "Sawtooth Roof" designs in factories.

With a sawtooth roof the vertical aspects of the roof are fitted with windows or glass panels. The building is generally angled so the glass panels face to the north, which filters the light and avoids direct exposure. This is a design for the best use of daylight without overheating in the premises.

My question, to the very experienced individuals on this forum is, are there inherent "Fire Safety" aspects as part of the construction of sawtooth roofs, by default if you wish, or is it only when AOV's and other venting systems are included.
Many thanks in advance for any responses.

[Phoenix]

The only inherent fire safety feature that I am aware of is the increased ceiling height.  The glass is often Georgian wired so will not vent readily.  Sometimes they have manually openable windows/vents but these are often controlled from within the space beneath so may not be easily accessible.  The smoke will tend to travel along the triangular shaped ceiling space but this will not necessarily lead to any benefits.

[Fishy]

Depends what you're enquiry is concerning - are you working on the design, or is this fire risk assessment territory?  You'd want to go into more detail if the former, I'd suggest - not specifically because it's a North-light roof, but in any roof there are certain recommendations that may apply - particularly around cavity barriers and junctions with compartment walls (if there are any).

No particular issues that I can think of regarding this particular configuration of roof glazing (though it might have an impact on smoke detector installation, if these are necessary).  I'd assume, though, that the roof lights are glass - if they're plastic then it gets a little more complicated...