A presentation during the recent World Conference on Timber Engineering 2023 (WCTE) in Oslo, Norway, outlined the existing National Construction Code (NCC) 2022 provisions for mid-rise timber construction. This was presented alongside details of the results of testing fire-protected timber construction solutions to investigate post-fire decay and cooling phase behaviour.
Nine hundred attendees, including scientists, academics, researchers, business delegates and students from 40 countries, gathered for the event in June, with an impressive Aussie contingent of 41 delegates.
Boris Iskra, FWPA’s National Codes & Standards Manager, gave a presentation that focused on the crucial role FWPA played in achieving a change to the NCC – the regulatory framework that determines the minimum design and construction requirements for buildings in Australia.
The NCC was amended to permit, under the Deemed-to-Satisfy (DTS) provisions, the use of fire-protected timber construction systems in all types of building from apartments to hospitals up to 25 metres in ‘effective height’ (i.e. measured to the top-most floor).
In support of this code change, FWPA led targeted research to investigate the post-fire decay and cooling phase behaviour of both fire-protected lightweight structural timber-frame and massive fire-protected timber elements, for which there had previously been limited research or publicly available data.
“The research demonstrated that fire-protected timber systems can be designed to prevent ongoing combustion by using encapsulation provided by appropriate fire-protective grade covering systems that maintain the temperature of the protected timber elements below critical values,” Iskra said.
FWPA undertakes such code change activities for the industry’s benefit and expansion of the safe use of timber products in Australia.
The WCTE, which is held every two years, is the world’s leading scientific forum on the latest technical and architectural solutions, innovations and advancements in timber engineering and construction.
The event is considered the most prestigious international event in the field of timber technology for construction, timber structures and the design of timber architecture.
There were more than 600 papers and poster presentations given during the event, sharing knowledge in areas such as timber engineering, research, codes of practice, building regulations and legislation, new construction practices, and the trends of bio-based sustainable and circular building material use in construction.
The next WCTE will be held in Brisbane from Sunday 22 to Thursday 26 June 2025. Pencil these dates into your diary, register your interest, and keep an eye on wcte2025.org for further details.
