Does SCDF allow timber floors and staircases to stay?
Yes, with upgrading. Clause 9.9 of the Fire Code 2023 covers shophouses and conservation buildings with timber floors or staircases. Depending on the number of storeys and whether an attic is added, timber floors must be treated with flame retardant or lined underneath with non-combustible boards to a half-hour or one-hour rating, and timber escape staircases generally need at least one-hour compartmentation. Upgrading must cover the whole building; partial upgrading is not allowed.
From the RRD Field Guide, checked against the sources cited in A&A Works to Conserved Shophouses in Singapore: URA's 3R Rules, Permits and Fire Safety. General information, not advice for your project.
The fuller picture
Any work to a conserved shophouse needs URA Conservation Permission before it starts, even repainting. URA's rule is maximum Retention, sensitive Restoration and careful Repair: the roof, party walls, front façade, five-foot way and (in historic districts) timber floors must be kept. Rear extensions and roof mezzanines are allowed only within set limits, and Fire Code clause 9.9 governs timber floors and stairs.
More questions on this topic
- Do I need URA approval to repaint a conserved shophouse?
- Which parts of a conserved shophouse must be kept?
- Can I build a rear extension to a conserved shophouse?
- Can I add an attic to a shophouse?
- What happened at 32 Desker Road?
- Can a conserved shophouse be converted to a hostel or co-living use?
- Can a contractor do conservation works without an architect?