Recent development in fire design of concrete structures

Concrete is known to be an excellent structural material, owing especially to its many favourable properties, to its constituent materials available from many local sources, unlimited forms, easy placement, economy and aesthetics. The question remains whether concrete is also an attractive material in terms of its properties with respect to fire. The present paper aims to discuss this question, reach some conclusions and give some indications for the future. The paper also provides an introduction to selected topics concerning fire design of concrete structures, such as the influence of fire on concrete properties (strength, deformation and spalling), member and structural analysis, and the role of both the restraints and the boundary conditions. Only few technical or scientific details are given in the paper, since the author's main objective is to present some topical ideas, on-going research activities and possible future development.