As the use of wood in high-rise buildings increases, fire safety documentation requirements are evolving. Until now, multi-storey wooden structures have been tested primarily with the SBI test, which has a relatively limited heat influx. However, this is about to change.
A CEN committee is finalizing a new European standard for full-scale facade testing, where facades will be exposed to extreme temperatures from a fully developed fire. Unlike existing national tests—such as SP-Fire 105, where heat exposure lasts only 20 minutes — the new test extends to 60–65 minutes. Additionally, the heat is contained in a corner configuration, creating a far more challenging scenario for wooden facades.
Burnblock’s Research & Development team, led by Dr. Mark Lawther and Paw Faelled, has conducted one of the very first tests under this new framework in collaboration with Knauf. The results were highly promising.
Within the next few years, this new facade test is expected to become an official harmonized standard (hEN) under CPR 305/11 EN 14915, replacing existing national standards such as SP-Fire 105, BS 8414-2, and DIN 4102-20.
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A special thank you to Knauf, DBI, and Hilti for their collaboration.