In Poland, the design of tall, public and other higher-risk buildings must be approved (uzgodnienie) by a certified fire safety expert (rzeczoznawca) before it goes in for a building permit. We approve designs for housing estates, tall and high-rise buildings, and review them with final inspection in mind, not just the permit.
Under Polish law, the certified fire safety expert (rzeczoznawca ds. zabezpieczeń przeciwpożarowych) signs off the design before it goes in for a permit. For us, that means analysing the design, not reading it. We check how the building will perform in a fire: fire compartment sizes, stairwell smoke control, lobbies at the car park, escape routes. Every concern becomes a specific comment with a recommendation.
Our comments are written for the final inspections that will come a few years later. The developer should get through them without surprises, which is why we stay with the project after approval: for the fire scenario, the technical design and the acceptance tests.
Since 2022 we have approved the designs of several hundred buildings. Below is a selection: housing estates, tall and high-rise buildings, offices, hotels and infrastructure. Hover over or tap a building and the card shows exactly what we did.
Warsaw, Śródmieście
Warsaw Financial Center
High-rise office tower
F&K scope of work
Photo: photo: Adrian Grycuk, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL
Wrocław, Fabryczna Street
Four-tower complex
High-rise office towers, 130–214 m
F&K scope of work
Drawing: F&K, based on urbanity.pl
Warsaw, Praga-Południe
Metro Art
Estate of 12 buildings
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: pfprojekt.pl
Warsaw, Praga-Południe
Aleje Praskie
Multi-phase housing estate
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: develia.pl
Łódź, Piotrkowska 154
Golden Tower
High-rise residential building
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: designlab.group
Warsaw, Śródmieście
Hala Koszyki
Restored historic market hall
F&K scope of work
Photo: photo: Chris Olszewski, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Łódź, Widzew
Zenit
Multi-phase estate with a multi-storey car park
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: propertynews.pl
Warsaw, Łopuszańska
Neo Nova Ochota
Apartment estate with commercial units
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: openarchitektura.com
Warsaw, Grzybowska 63
Hilton Warsaw City
Hotel and conference centre
F&K scope of work
Warsaw, Bemowo
Metro Zachód 8
Residential district, phase 8
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: domd.pl
Warsaw, Mokotów
Bukowińska Mokotów
Tall residential building
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: amconstruction.pl
Białobrzegi, Lake Zegrze
Crowne Plaza Warsaw Zegrze Resort
IHG hotel with a marina
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: e-hotelarz.pl
Warsaw, Targówek
Warszawski Świt
Estate with tall buildings
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: homeinvest.pl
Warsaw, Marszałkowska
Saski Park
Apartment building by the Saxon Garden
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: saskipark.pl
Warsaw, Ursus
Osiedle przy Ryżowej
Estate with a shared car park
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: domd.pl
Warsaw, Praga-Północ
Centrum Praskie Koneser
Conversion of a former vodka factory
F&K scope of work
Photo: photo: Adrian Grycuk, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL
Warsaw, Obozowa 57
Vector+
Tall office building
F&K scope of work
Photo: profbud.pl
Łódź, Śródmieście
Ogrody Geyera
Residential complex
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: atal.pl
Warsaw, Czerniaków
Prof. W. Orłowski Hospital
Teaching hospital
F&K scope of work
Photo: photo: Adrian Grycuk, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 PL
Warsaw, Ursus
Mój Ursus
Multi-phase housing estate
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: rynekpierwotny.pl
Warsaw, Ursynów
Galeria Metro
Tall mixed-use building
F&K scope of work
Photo: biurowce.net
Łódź
High-speed rail tunnel under Łódź
Rail tunnel, Centralny Port Komunikacyjny (CPK)
F&K scope of work
Photo: architektura.muratorplus.pl
Wrocław, Maślice
SILVO
Residential complex
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: PCG S.A., investmap.pl
Poznań, Winogrady
Murapol Havelia
Estate with a tall building
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: murapol.pl
Warsaw, Włochy
Modern Space
Tall collective-residence buildings
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: korter.com.pl
Warsaw, Bracka 25
Bracia Jabłkowscy Department Store
Historic department store
F&K scope of work
Photo: architektura.muratorplus.pl
Warsaw, Białołęka
Concept Ćwiklińska
Five residential buildings
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: rynekpierwotny.pl
Szczecin, Western Bypass
S6 tunnel under the Oder
Road tunnel
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: GDDKiA, gov.pl
Łódź, Maratońska 49
Nowa Retkinia
Residential complex
F&K scope of work
Photo: visiondevelopment.pl
Piekary Śląskie
Piekary Śląskie sports complex
Swimming pool, sports hall and spa
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: propertydesign.pl
Łódź, Wołowa
Murapol Osiedle Filo
Housing estate
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: murapol.pl
Warsaw, Praga-Południe
Metro Line 3
Metro stations
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: Metro Warszawskie
Gdańsk, Śródmieście
Railway Directorate, Gdańsk
Historic office building
F&K scope of work
Photo: infogdansk.pl
Szczecin, Łasztownia
ATAL Floriana
Residential building on the Oder
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: atal.pl
Warsaw, Marszałkowska 28
Kino Luna
Historic cinema
F&K scope of work
Warsaw, Ursus
Pry100ra
Two-phase housing estate
F&K scope of work
Visualisation: spravia.pl
No selected projects in this category.
Visualisations and photos come from public materials of the developers and design studios. The source of each image is given on the back of its card.
The pace comes from experience. We know the regulations and the places where residential and office designs most often need corrections, and that is where our review starts.
Site plan (PZT), architectural and building design (PAB) or technical design (PT). When we accept it, we give the date for our comments.
Comments are marked up directly on the drawings and collected in a single schedule. Each comes with a specific recommendation, written with final inspection in mind.
We discuss comments as we go, by phone or in an online meeting. Many are closed in a single conversation.
On paper or electronically, with a qualified electronic signature.
We notify the competent Regional Fire Service Headquarters (KW PSP) of the approval within the statutory 14 days.
Technical design, changes during construction, fire scenario, fire safety manual, final inspection.
When a solution does not fit the prescriptive rules, we do not stop at a refusal. We look for a route to the same level of safety: a design change, a fire engineering expertise with an alternative solution agreed with the Regional Fire Service Headquarters (KW PSP), a CFD simulation or an evacuation analysis.
We do not write opinions to suit an expected outcome. We propose only solutions that deliver safety, which is why we can defend them at approval and at final inspection.
The scope of the approval is set by the Regulation of the Minister of the Interior and Administration of 5 August 2023 on approving building designs for fire protection. We review each part of the design from a different angle.
PZT
Fire access roads, access for rescue teams, separation distances to neighbouring buildings, water supply for external firefighting.
PAB
Height class (N, SW, W, WW: up to 12 m, 12–25 m, 25–55 m, over 55 m), fire compartments, fire resistance class, means of escape, stairwells, lobbies, underground car parks.
PT
Fire safety systems in detail: fire detection and alarm, voice alarm (DSO), smoke control, hydrant system, power supply to fire safety equipment.
Changes
Substitute designs and material changes during construction, fit-outs of offices and retail units in existing buildings.
FAQ
Approval is required for the building design of any structure significant for the protection of life, health, property or the environment. This includes buildings with ZL I, ZL II and ZL V fire zones, medium-rise, tall and high-rise residential and office buildings, multi-level car parks for more than 20 cars, structures with a fire detection and alarm system or voice alarm system, and tunnels longer than 100 m. The rules are set by the Regulation of the Minister of the Interior and Administration of 5 August 2023 on approving building designs for fire protection.
The site plan, the architectural and building design and the technical design, as well as the designs of fire safety systems. We also approve substitute designs, changes during construction and fit-outs in existing buildings.
We give the date when we accept the design and we keep to it. It depends on the size of the project and how complete the documentation is. The quickest designs to approve come with a full fire safety statement and drawings showing fire compartments and escape routes.
Yes. The expert will not approve a design that does not meet fire safety requirements. Before it comes to that, we give specific comments and point to a way forward: a design change or an alternative solution based on a fire engineering expertise.
There are two routes. The first is a design change, which can usually be made without losing any of the building's functions. The second is an alternative solution that keeps fire safety at no lower level, agreed with the Regional Fire Service Headquarters (KW PSP) on the basis of the expert's technical expertise - the Polish route for a fire engineered, performance-based solution. We often confirm its effectiveness with a CFD simulation or an evacuation analysis.
Yes. We approve designs on paper or electronically, with a qualified electronic signature, to match the form in which the developer submits the documentation to the authority.
The expert. We notify the competent Regional Fire Service Headquarters (KW PSP) of every approval within 14 days of the approval date. The developer does not have to do it.
Yes, we work throughout Poland. We have approved projects in Warsaw, Wrocław, Łódź, Poznań, Szczecin and the Tricity, among other places. We accept documentation electronically and discuss comments online.
Send us the site plan (PZT) and the architectural and building design (PAB). We will confirm the scope of the approval and the date for the first comments.
