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The Fire Protection Research Foundation (FPRF) initiated the project “Fire Safety Challenges of Tall Wood Buildings - Phase 2” to address the need for evaluating the contribution of mass timber elements to compartment fires. In part, this is linked to the concern that timber elements in tall wood buildings could increase the fire load, affect the fire growth rate, and potentially compromise fire protection systems in buildings, all of which could result in more severe conditions for occupants and responding fire fighters and increase the threat of damage to the property and adjacent properties. This project aimed to quantify the contribution of cross laminated timber (CLT) building elements to compartment fires, and to characterize the fire protection of the CLT structural elements using physical barrier (e.g., gypsum board) for delaying or preventing their involvement in the fire.

This study investigates the contribution of cross laminated timber (CLT) building elements to compartment fires. Six compartments (9.1 m long × 4.6 m wide × 2.7 m high) were constructed using 175 mm thick 5‑ply CLT structural panels and fire tested using residential contents and furnishings to provide a fuel load density of 550 MJ/m2. The results show that gypsum board can delay or prevent the involvement of the CLT in the fire, and that the ventilation conditions and exposed surface area of the CLT play a decisive role in the outcome of the test. The results highlight the need to use heat-resistant adhesives in cross laminated timber to minimize delamination. Ej belagd 180910