Jaipur, July 9 -- Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur have developed advanced computational models to assess structural safety and improve fire resilience in buildings amid a rise in fire-related disasters across the country. The research, led by Dr P Ravi Prakash, assistant professor in the department of civil and infrastructure engineering, focuses on performance-based structural fire engineering - a scientific approach that analyses how buildings behave during and after fires, rather than relying solely on conventional fire safety norms. An official release states, the team has developed advanced computational models capable of simulating fire spread inside buildings, predicting structural damage under different fire scenarios and identifying vulnerable sections before a disaster occurs. According to the researchers, one of the key findings is that critical structural failures can occur during the cooling phase after a fire, a period that is often overlooked during safety inspections. Researchers have also developed artificial intelligence-based systems that can forecast structural fire response using minimal sensor data. These systems are integrated with early warning mechanisms designed to support fire rescue operations and post-fire structural assessments. The technologies enable faster evaluation of whether fire-damaged buildings are safe for reoccupation. Beyond fire safety, the IIT Jodhpur team is also developing digital platforms that integrate Building Information Modelling (BIM), Digital Twins, Artificial Intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for intelligent lifecycle management of buildings and infrastructure. The platforms enable engineers to monitor construction quality, assess sustainability, predict maintenance needs and evaluate structural performance throughout a building's lifecycle. To encourage wider adoption, the research group has made several of its computational tools and software codes available as open-source resources for researchers and engineering professionals. Dr Prakash said every major building fire highlights the need to understand how structures behave before, during and after a fire. The research aims to equip engineers and policymakers with scientific tools to predict structural failures, assess damaged buildings and integrate fire resilience into the design process, he said....