Fire Engineering Tall Timber Buildings in the UK

Mass timber construction is gaining momentum. We examine the fire engineering challenges and evidence-based solutions.. Timber's Renaissance Cross laminated timber (CLT) and glued laminated timber (glulam) buildings are being constructed up to 18 storeys globally. The UK is cautiously following. Fire Engineering Challenges Char rate — timber chars at approximately 0.7mm/min in standard fire Encapsulation strategy — fully encapsulated vs exposed timber Auto extinction — can CLT fires self extinguish? Concealed spaces — preventing fire spread in hidden cavities Regulatory position — ADB discourages combustible materials above 18m Evidence Base ETH Zürich research — demonstrated auto extinction in CLT compartments NRC Canada tests — full scale fire tests of CLT apartments BS EN 1995 1 2 — Eurocode timber fire design RISE Sweden — extensive fire testing programme For mass timber fire engineering, contact Magnus Opifex.