FireInTimber

The FireInTimber project has been running between November 2007 and March 2010 in close cooperation between fourteen partners in nine countries Austria, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland and UK. It has resulted in new knowledge especially for modelling of the load-bearing capacity of new types of timber structures. The results are presented in several scientific publications and presentations.

The main result for a greater audience is the technical guideline Fire safety in timber buildings. It is the very first European wide guideline on the fire safe use of wood in buildings. The guideline presents information for architects, engineers, educators, authorities and building industries on the fire safe use of timber structures and wood products in buildings. It aims at providing the highest scientific knowledge with regard to fire safety on the European level. The guideline covers the extended use of design codes (such as Eurocode 5), European standards, practical guidance and examples for fire safe design and principles of performance based design. The guideline also includes information on reaction to the fire performance of wood products according to the new European classification system. The importance of proper detailing in building design is stressed by practical examples. Active measures of fire protection and quality of construction workmanship and inspection are presented as important means for fulfilling the fire safety objectives.