In recent years, the Middle East, and Saudi Arabia in particular, has experienced an unprecedented surge in ambitious, high-profile projects. From giga-projects that redefine urban development to the restoration of historic cultural assets, the scale and complexity of construction continues to expand. As buildings grow more innovative, the limitations of purely prescriptive fire and life safety codes become increasingly evident. This has accelerated a global shift towards performance-based design (PBD), a methodology that evaluates how a building performs under fire or emergency conditions rather than relying exclusively on pre-defined code checklists. Saudi Arabia, with its forward-looking development agenda and rapidly evolving regulatory landscape, is uniquely placed to embrace and lead in this transformation.
A global shift towards performance-based design
International model codes and standards, such as those published by the NFPA, ICC and SFPE, are steadily and continuously steering towards performance-based methodologies. While prescriptive codes remain essential as a baseline, they are no longer sufficient on their own to address contemporary challenges such as:
- Innovative architectural forms that defy traditional layouts and geometry;
- Advanced building technologies including AI-driven systems and smart infrastructure;
- Net-zero buildings requiring integrated design approaches;
- Renovation of heritage structures where prescriptive solutions may be impractical;
- Accelerated construction schedules and modular construction;
- Giga-scale developments often the size of small cities.
Saudi Arabia’s transformation efforts under Vision 2030 amplify each of these factors. Large master-planned districts, super-tall towers, mixed-use megastructures and heritage conservation initiatives demand flexibility beyond the rigid frameworks of prescriptive codes. Performance-based design provides the analytical tools, engineering rigour and adaptability required to support such advanced development without compromising safety.
Embracing — not fearing — performance-based design
A common misconception among architects, engineers, contractors and even Authorities Having Jurisdiction (AHJs) is that performance-based design introduces unnecessary risk or complexity. In practice, the opposite is often true.
A well-crafted performance-based solution typically exceeds the minimum intent of prescriptive code requirements. Through rigorous analysis, such as fire and smoke modelling, egress capacity evaluation, tenability assessments and risk-based engineering, performance-based design can reveal vulnerable areas that a prescriptive approach might overlook. It also provides flexibility for developing robust safety strategies tailored to the building’s actual use and behaviour, rather than forcing a design to conform to generic assumptions embedded in the code.
For example, a large open atrium, a feature often restricted by prescriptive codes, can be designed with advanced smoke management strategies validated by computational models. The resulting design is not only compliant but safer, more efficient and more aligned with architectural goals.
The value lies in the confidence it gives stakeholders: performance-based designs are not arbitrary; they are thoroughly justified, peer-reviewed, repeatable and grounded in engineering science.
Moving beyond code checklists
A fundamental cultural shift is required for the broader industry: architects and engineers should not treat codes as checklists or design manuals, but rather as safety outcome frameworks. A common issue in the region is ‘designing by checklist’, where the building is forced to comply with prescriptive requirements even if they undermine the design vision.
Instead, a more modern approach should:
- Begin with the building concept — the intended experience, use, flow and functionality.
- Identify the fire and life safety objectives the building must achieve.
- Determine the strategy to meet these objectives, which may involve prescriptive provisions, performance-based solutions or a combination of both.
- Validate that the design satisfies the code’s intent, regardless of the method used.
This approach reinforces an essential truth: codes exist to ensure intent, performance and safety, not to restrict innovation. Intent is the critical concept embedded within the SBC and NFPA codes and SFPE guidance. By understanding intent rather than solely memorising requirements, designers can craft safer buildings and more efficient solutions.
PBD requires deep competence and multidisciplinary expertise
While PBD offers enormous value, it is not a simple process or a ‘shortcut’ and must not be approached casually. Developing or reviewing a performance-based design requires competence, experience and a multidisciplinary understanding of several factors, including:
- Code intent and philosophy, not merely the text, but why specific requirements exist.
- Fire dynamics and behaviour, which differ dramatically in complex geometries.
- Human factors and egress behaviour, including mobility profiles and crowd dynamics.
- Interaction between multiple alternative solutions; a single engineered solution may function well alone, but several applied together may produce unintended consequences.
- Building life cycle and operational requirements, since the validity of many engineered systems depends on proper long-term maintenance.
- Commissioning and acceptance testing, which must confirm the design performs as intended.
- Interface between fire safety systems, including smoke control, detection, suppression and mechanical systems.
- Emergency response considerations, particularly how Civil Defence teams will interact with the building in real scenarios.
These examples highlight that performance-based design is not a plug-and-play exercise. It demands collaboration among fire engineers, architects, MEP designers, façade consultants, operators and authorities.
Saudi Arabia, with its growing pool of specialists and expanding academic focus on fire safety engineering, is well-positioned to cultivate this competence locally creating a knowledge base that supports the nation’s ambitious future developments.
PBD must be building-specific — not a library of recycled solutions
A common error is treating performance-based design as a template that can be reused repeatedly. This undermines the fundamental purpose of PBD and introduces significant risk.
Performance-based solutions are developed based on assumptions and variables that are unique to each building, such as:
- Occupant profiles
- Fire load densities
- Airflow patterns
- Geometry and compartmentation
- HVAC configuration
- Material selections
- Operational practices
- Maintenance capacity
- Emergency response strategies
Changing any one of these parameters can invalidate the entire analysis. For example, a smoke management strategy developed for an atrium with a fixed fire load and known occupancy will no longer be valid if the space is converted into a retail environment with higher hazards.
Because of this, performance-based designs in Saudi Arabia should include:
- Clear documentation of assumptions and limitations;
- Defined operational requirements to keep the strategy valid (e.g. maintaining clear paths, limiting fuel loads, periodic testing);
- Commissioning plans ensuring the system performs as modelled;
- Procedures for re-evaluation if building usage or internal layouts change;
- Clear communication with facility operators, who become responsible for preserving the conditions under which the PBD solution was approved.
As Saudi Arabia advances towards large-scale developments that evolve over decades, the life cycle validity of engineered solutions becomes just as important as their initial approval.
Looking ahead: The Kingdom’s path to safer, smarter design
Saudi Arabia has the chance to become a global leader in performance-based fire engineering. The Kingdom’s mega and giga projects, such as in NEOM, Qiddiya, Diriyah and the Red Sea developments, provide ideal environments for advanced PBD methodologies.
Performance-based design represents far more than a technical alternative to prescriptive codes; it is a mindset shift towards innovation, collaboration and genuine safety performance. In the context of Saudi Arabia’s ambitious development landscape, PBD provides the freedom needed to achieve world-class architecture while maintaining the highest standards of fire and life safety.
By embracing performance-based methodologies, investing in local expertise and fostering a deeper understanding of code intent, the Kingdom stands to become a leader in modern fire safety engineering. The future of safe, innovative and sustainable buildings in the Middle East will not be built through checklists alone, but through informed, performance-driven design grounded in engineering rigour.
