The performance of tall wood buildings under credible fire scenarios is the subject of a new report from the Fire Protection Research Foundation, an affiliate of the National Fire Protection Association.
Engineered wood is being used as a structural material for taller and taller buildings, including a newly constructed 10-story apartment building in Australia and taller structures in development in Vancouver and Norway. The wood products include cross-laminated timber, laminated veneer lumber, and glued laminated timber.
One of the objectives of the research program was to investigate claims that buildings made of engineered wood are safer than buildings made of structural steel because of the formation of an insulating char layer on the perimeter of a laminated wood beam exposed to fire.
The study was sponsored by the Foundation’s Property Insurance Research Group.
To download the report, “Fire Safety Challenges of Tall Wood Buildings,” go to http://bit.ly/NFPA_wood.