On 7^th October, Dr Andrea Lucherini, Head of the Fire Research and Innovation Unit at FRISSBE-ZAG, was invited to present at the professional development seminar “Sicurezza Antincendio: Le Nuove Sfide Progettuali per le Facciate” (Fire Safety: New Design Challenges for Façades), organised by the Ordine degli Ingegneri della Provincia di Milano (Association of Engineers of Milan Province) through the FOIM Foundation and held at the Milan Marriott Hotel.

The seminar, sponsored by ROCKWOOL Italia and accredited for four professional development credits under Italian engineering continuing education requirements, brought together fire safety practitioners, structural engineers, and representatives of public institutions to address the evolving technological and regulatory landscape for façade fire safety in Italy and Europe.

Dr Lucherini delivered a talk entitled “Experimental Assessment of the Fire Performance of Façades: from Small-Scale Tests to the Large-Scale European Approach”. The presentation addressed the range of experimental methodologies available for evaluating façade fire performance, tracing the progression from small-scale material and product tests through to the large-scale European testing approach, and discussing what each level of testing can and cannot tell us about real façade behaviour in fire.

His contribution sat within a broader programme that also included a presentation by Davide Luraschi on the evolution of modern building envelopes and their new fire challenges, an overview of the future development of Italian fire prevention regulations for façades delivered by Mauro Caciolai, a session by Marco Antonelli on fire resistance classifications and cavity barrier requirements under EN 1364-3,4,6, and a practical case study by Samuele Sassi applying the engineering approach to a real façade fire safety design project. The seminar was opened and closed by Prof Fabio Dattilo, former Director General at the Italian Ministry of the Interior.

The seminar reflects the continued relevance of FRISSBE’s experimental research on façades and the department’s growing role in shaping the professional understanding of façade fire safety across Europe, including in the Italian-speaking market.