Fire Safety of Timber Buildings
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Fire Safety of Timber Buildings: A Research Review David Barber Arup, Washington DC [email protected] 24=26 September 2014
Transcript of Fire Safety of Timber Buildings
Fire%Safety%of%Timber%Buildings:%A%Research%Review%
David&Barber&Arup,&Washington&DC&[email protected]&24=26&September&2014&
Course%Descrip@on%
Recent&architectural&trends&in&sustainable&urban&densificaEon&have&spurred&a&movement&toward&increasingly&larger&buildings&made&from&Ember&products&or&a&combinaEon&of&wood&and&other&materials.&Many&Ember&building&concepts&are&moEvated&by&their&suggested&advantages&in&sustainability&resulEng&from&the&use&of&wood&as&a&renewable&and&low=carbon&construcEon&material.&In&furthering&wood's&evoluEon&as&a&structural&material&in&urban&seLngs,&designers&are&interested&to&beMer&understand&the&implicaEons&of&Ember&use&with®ard&to&fire&and&life&safety.&&Ensuring&&occupant&safety&and&the&protecEon&of&property&requires&assessing&the&fire&performance&of&structural&systems&and&design&applicaEons.&This&presentaEon&will&include&the&findings&of&a&study&performed&in&coordinaEon&with&the&Fire&ProtecEon&Research&FoundaEon.&&&
Disclaimer: This presentation was developed by a third party and is not funded by WoodWorks or the Softwood Lumber Board.
Learning%Objec@ves%
1.&Explain&the¤t&state&of&fire&and&life&safety&codes&and&standards&as&they&relate&to&allowing&Ember&as&a&structural&material.&
2.&Describe&the¤t&understanding&of&fire&performance&of&tall&Ember&buildings,&including&results&of&fire&tesEng&and&examples&of&high=rise&Ember&buildings.&
3.&IdenEfy&areas&for&future&tesEng&and&research&needed&to&demonstrate&safety&in&tall&Ember&buildings.&
4.&Understand&the&importance&of&effecEve&risk&communicaEon&with&Ember&building&stakeholders.&
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“The&Wood&Products&Council”&is&a&Registered&Provider&with&The&American&InsEtute&of&Architects&ConEnuing&EducaEon&Systems&(AIA/CES),&Provider&#G516.&&!Credit(s)&earned&on&compleEon&of&this&course&will&be&reported&to&AIA&CES&for&AIA&members.&CerEficates&of&CompleEon&for&both&AIA&members&and&non=AIA&members&are&available&upon&request.&&&
This&course&is®istered&with&AIA&CES&for&conEnuing&professional&educaEon.&As&such,&it&does¬&include&content&that&may&be&deemed&or&construed&to&be&an&approval&or&endorsement&by&the&AIA&of&any&material&of&construcEon&or&any&method&or&manner&of&handling,&using,&distribuEng,&or&dealing&in&any&material&or&product.&___________________________________________
QuesEons&related&to&specific&materials,&methods,&and&services&will&be&addressed&at&the&conclusion&of&this&presentaEon.&&
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Introduction • Buildings have to be safe during building use • Fire safety includes:
- Safety from fire - Occupant evacuation - Emergency operations
- Safety from structural failure - Structural stability
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Introduction • Everyone is aware that wood burns
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Timber Fire Performance • Fire performance - Light timber vs. heavy timber
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Timber Fire Performance • Light timber framing - 2x studs and joists - I-joists, trusses
• Stick frame construction
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Timber Fire Performance • Fire protection - Light timber
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Timber Fire Performance • Heavy timber frame products meeting prescriptive min. sizes - Solid sawn - Engineered wood products
Glue laminated wood (Glulam) Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL)
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Timber Fire Performance • Heavy timber frame products - Engineered wood products
Cross Laminated Timber (CLT)
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Timber Fire Performance • Fire protection - Heavy timber
Sacrificial char layer Solid “cold” timber
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Timber Fire Performance • Fire performance - Light timber vs. heavy timber
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Timber Fire Performance • Charring - Well-understood - Predictable - ~0.025 in/min [0.7mm/min]
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Timber Fire Performance • Timber Frame 2000 - Cardington, UK - Fire resistance of a mid-rise timber building
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Timber Fire Performance • Natural fire testing: - Light timber framing - Combustible lining vs. gypsum lining - Sprinklered vs. non-sprinklered
Sprinkler protection Combustible lining Gypsum board lining
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Timber Fire Performance • CLT assemblies - Charring rate consistent with wood (~0.025 in/min [0.7mm/
min]) - Predictable behavior - Improved performance with gypsum board protection
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Timber Fire Performance • Fire protection for connections
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Timber Fire Performance • Timber composite assemblies - CLT box beams - Fire performance based on testing - Over 2-hour ratings for assemblies
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Timber Fire Performance • Fire performance - Composite members - Timber concrete floors
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Further Research • Penetrations - Fire-stopping
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Further Research • Contribution of timber to room
fires - Delamination - Self-extinguishment
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Further Research • Perception of risk - Improved understanding of fire
performance of timber needed across the industry
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Building Regulations in Timber • International regulations
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Building Regulations in Timber • International regulations
Country Applicable Building Code Maximum # of Stories Sprinklered Unsprinklered
Australia 2013 Building Code of Australia (BCA) 3 3
Austria Austrian Building Codes 8 (*72 feet) 3
Canada 2010 National Building Code of Canada (NBCC)
4 3
Germany 2012 Federal Building Code 8 (*59 feet) 3
Sweden 2013 Planning and Building Act 8 2
United Kingdom
2010 Building Regulations 5** 4**
United States 2012 International Building Code (IBC) 5 4
* Indicates a height limit in addition to a maximum story limit
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Building Regulations in Timber • Prescriptive Design - Code changes
• Performance based design - Alternative solution to prescriptive codes
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Gaining Approval • Option 1 – Prescriptive route - TF 2000, UK - FPInnovations, North America
• Long term solution - Requires significant justification - Testing, understanding, discussion, agreement
- Takes a significant amount of time - 3-year code cycles (USA)
Fire Safety
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Gaining Approval • Option 2 – Performance route - All tall timber structures to date - UK, Australia, Europe, Canada
- Up to the discretion of the approval authority - Technical justification for safety - No different to any other innovative building solution
Fire Safety
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Gaining Approval • Fire protection strategies - Passive - Encapsulation - Compartmentation - Egress
- Active - Sprinklers - Detection and alarm
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Gaining Approval • Improved understanding of fire risks - Penetrations - Connections - Contribution exposed timber to room fires - Potential for self-extinguishment
Fire Safety
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Gaining Approval • Address Perception of risk - Improved understanding - Technical justification - Risk communication
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Risk Communication
• We cling to the myth that timber construction presents risks, while concrete and steel do not. Nonsense. Every material presents risks, but we manage them in different ways…
- Russell Fortmeyer, Arup
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Timber Buildings • Heavy timber frame construction - Post and beam construction
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Timber Buildings • Heavy timber frame construction - CLT Panelized construction
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Timber Buildings • Heavy timber frame products - Composite wood products
Post-tensioned timber
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Timber Buildings • Heavy timber frame products - Composite wood products
Timber-concrete composite floors
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Contemporary Examples • Panelized construction - Stadhaus, London, UK, 2009
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Contemporary Examples • Panelized construction - Stadhaus, London, UK, 2009
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Contemporary Examples • Panelized construction - Forte Building, Melbourne, Australia, 2013
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Contemporary Examples • Panelized construction - Forte Building, Melbourne, Australia, 2013
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Contemporary Examples • Post and beam construction - Life Cycle Tower One, Austria, 2012
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Contemporary Examples • Post and beam construction - Wood Innovation Design Centre, Prince George, Canada, 2014
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Timber Buildings • Global precedent
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Future Timber Buildings • Feasibility studies
“Office Building of the Future”, CEI Architecture, 2013 Timber Tower, SOM, 2013
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Future Timber Buildings • Feasibility examples - Case for Tall Wood
30-story high-rise, Michael Green Architecture, 2012
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Next Steps • USDA Grant - 10+ story timber building - $2mil for design development - Full design team
• Holistic Timber Design - Acoustics - Facades - Structural - Seismic, vibrations, stability
- Sustainability - Fire / Life Safety
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Acknowledgements • Fire Protection Research Association • National Fire Protection Association • WoodWorks • American Wood Council
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This&concludes&The&American&InsEtute&of&Architects&ConEnuing&EducaEon&Systems&Course&
David%Barber%
Arup,%Washington%DC%
