Responsive Architecture and Dynamic Fire-Safety Systems: A Conceptual–Bibliometric Framework for Performance-Based Design and Regulatory Transition

Responsive architecture is increasingly understood as an adaptive socio-technical paradigm in which buildings respond to environmental conditions, user behavior, and safety-related events through integrated sensing, computation, and control. In parallel, fire-safety engineering is shifting from a predominantly prescriptive design toward performance-based, data-informed, and continuously monitored safety approaches. This study develops a conceptual framework for dynamic fire-safety systems (DFS) by combining a Scopus-based bibliometric analysis with a regulatory gap analysis. The bibliometric component is based on 116 Scopus-indexed sources published between 2019 and 2026 and analyzed using VOSviewer. Six DFS conceptual domains were derived deductively from established normative engineering sources prior to and independently of the Scopus search. The bibliometric analysis indicates an interpretive convergence between these domains and the emerging research clusters, understood as conceptual coherence rather than formal validation. The study also examines regulatory implications using Poland as an illustrative case of a predominantly prescriptive and document-based fire-safety framework. Six regulatory gaps were identified, with respect to adaptive systems, performance-based design pathways, BIM/data interoperability, cybersecurity, functional testing, and heritage-building equivalency. Based on these findings, the article proposes a staged reform pathway linking responsive architecture, digital building technologies, and fire-safety engineering with broader sustainability objectives related to resilient infrastructure and safer cities. The regulatory gap analysis is based on documentary sources and has not been independently validated by fire-safety professionals or regulatory authorities; therefore, the findings should be read as conceptual and exploratory rather than as practice-validated policy recommendations.