Woodwise: large-scale compartment fire tests examining sustainability, smoldering, and emissions

Abstract

In the United States, timber is a common building material in low and medium-rise construction, up to 25.9m (85ft). Through research and innovation, code changes were enacted in 2021 that eliminated barriers to high-rise mass timber buildings. However, some stakeholders have observed that major technical barriers remain. Specifically, the structural performance of timber during all phases of a fire and resulting emissions from buildings using combustible construction. This paper summarizes a multi-disciplinary research program designed to address the challenges in a holistic and systematic manner through four large-scale fire tests within mass timber compartments with fuel loads of 798 MJ/m² of real furnishings, with and without encapsulation. The results of this research will be used to improve engineering design methodologies and demonstrate the role these structures play in meeting the sustainability targets of the building construction industry.

Citation

Fischer, Erica C.; Pitari, Ines; Hasburgh, Laura; Barber, David; Yedinak, Kara; Coello, Nicolas. 2025. Woodwise: large-scale compartment fire tests examining sustainability, smoldering, and emissions. In: World Conference on Timber Engineering. Brisbane, Australia. June 22-26, 2025. 4252-4259. https://doi.org/10.52202/080513-0522.