Fire Safety in Timber Construction

Fire Safety in Timber Construction - Consultation, Implementation & Documentation

Wood is experiencing a resurgence as a building material for a number of reasons. Wood is versatile, sustainable, energy-efficient, dimensionally stable, and often requires a short installation time.

Applications of fire safety in timber construction

Wood is increasingly used in new construction in the form of standardized walls and floors in multi-story residential and commercial buildings. In addition, users encounter old timber joist floors during renovations or when adding additional stories to buildings. Both cases present planners, fire safety consultants, and building owners with challenges regarding fire safety in timber construction. As a result, only a limited number of tested and approved fire compartmentation solutions are available for timber construction.

Challenges of fire compartmentation in timber construction

Whether timber-frame, solid timber, or hybrid constructions with reinforced concrete: thorough planning of fire safety in timber construction is required to realize the benefits of timber construction. A later correction, for example due to incorrectly planned openings, is not as straightforward as in solid or drywall construction. 

Approved solution for fire compartmentation in timber construction

In cross-laminated timber construction, tested products from Hilti eliminate, with proper planning, the need for elaborate lining of openings with gypsum fiber boards. As a result, the workload can be significantly reduced. Fire compartmentation using timber elements holds back fire and smoke for 30, 60, or 90 minutes.

Fire safety in timber construction in the following fire resistance classes:

• REI 30 (fire-retardant)
• REI 60 (highly fire-retardant)
• REI 90 (fire-resistant)

The requirements for fire safety in timber construction are governed by DIN EN 1402-2 (Unshaped refractory products).

All-round care package: CWS carries out the planning and implementation of fire safety measures in timber construction. Upon completion, you receive documentation, on request with photos and descriptions of each individual fire compartmentation element in the timber structure. This serves as proof of properly installed fire compartmentation for your own records as well as for your insurer.