Fire Safety Provisions for Tall Mass Timber Buildings to Be Adopted by the NFPA

Cross Laminated Timber. Photo by the Oregon Department of Forestry, CC BY 2.0

Tall mass timber buildings have been gaining steam across the globe over the past few years, but their detractors argue that they are at a much greater risk of burning to the ground than traditional tall structures made of steel and concrete. The National Fire Protection Association has recently adopted provisions to allow for taller mass timber buildings within NFPA 5000 Building Construction and Safety Code and NFPA 101 Life Safety Code.

You may remember that the International Code Council (ICC) had approved mass timber buildings up to 18 stories high and 270 feet tall a couple of years ago and that the International Building Code (IBC) planned to add those changes in 2021, but the NFPA works a little bit differently than that, according to the American Wood Council (AWC) – is that enough acronyms yet?

Expected to be released later this year, the changes to the NFPA code will use a factor in order to increase the height and square footage above the current mass timber standards and additional protections for fire resistance will be added as the building gets taller. Much like the IBC mass timber regulations, protections for exterior walls, shafts, connections with non-combustible materials, and concealed spaces.

The NFPA has been testing the fire resistance of mass timber buildings for years and the AWC stated in a press release that the committee has been working on these new provisions for the past three years.

“The addition of tall mass timber provisions to NFPA 5000 and NFPA 101 ensures compatibility with the International Building Code, thereby furthering the market opportunity for tall mass timber buildings,” said American Wood Council (AWC) Vice President of Codes & Regulations Kenneth Bland, P.E. “NFPA’s recognition of tall mass timber furthers the availability of a low-embodied carbon alternative compared to traditional building materials.”

Full story: Tall Mass Timber Provisions Adopted in NFPA 5000, NFPA 101 | AWC

---

source https://www.constructionjunkie.com/blog/2020/9/18/fire-safety-provisions-for-tall-mass-timber-buildings-to-be-adopted-by-the-nfpa