Fire safety challenges of tall wood buildings. Phase 2: Task 2 & 3: cross laminated

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.