This document discusses fire resistance considerations and maximum storey heights for timber construction in Australia. It provides tables specifying the maximum number of storeys allowed for different building types and classifications without sprinklers. The document also examines what limits timber construction in building regulations regarding fire, including requirements for external and internal wall materials. It covers calculating fire resistance levels and criteria for stability, integrity and insulation. Methods of fire protection for timber elements like beams and columns are presented, including increased thickness and wrapping in plasterboard. Construction site fire safety and design guides from WoodSolutions relating to fire engineering are also mentioned.

1. Fire Resistance
Considerations

2. Maximum storey height for timber
dts complying buildings
Australia
Number of storeys without sprinklers
Storey Max floor
area (m2)
Single family Unlimited Unlimited
Multi Residential 3 Unlimited
Office 2 8,000
Retail 2 5,000
Industrial 2 18,000
Public (Assembly) 1 8,000
Number of storeys without sprinklers
Single family Unlimited Unlimited
Multi Residential 3 Unlimited
Office 2 Unlimited
Retail 2 5,000
Industrial 2 18,000
Public (Assembly) 1 Unlimited

3. Rise in
storey
Type of Construction
Class 2 Class 3 Class 5 Class 6 Class 9a Class 9b
Apartments Hotels Office Shops Healthcare Schools &
public
buildings
4 or more A A A A A A
3 A A B B A A
2 B B C C B B
1 C C C C C C
Max Storey Height by Building
Classification

4. Rise in
storey
Type of Construction
Class 2 Class 3 Class 5 Class 6 Class 9a Class 9b
Apartments Hotels Office Shops Healthcare Schools &
public
buildings
4 or more A A A A A A
3 A A B B A A
2 B B C C B B
1 C C C C C C
Max Storey Height by Building
Classification
Current PFC for NCC 2014

5. How does Australia Compare with the
rest of Worldwide
Unlimited storey height

6. What limits timber construction in
“dts” Building Regs – Fire
• Type A & B dts requirements do not
directly limit timber construction for
o Beams,
o Columns, and
o Floors (other than lift pits)

7. What limits timber construction in
“dts” Building Regs – Fire
• Type A & B dts requirements do limit
timber construction by requiring
– External walls, and non-load bearing
internal walls required to be fire resisting to
be non-combustible construction
– Load bearing internal walls are to be
constructed from concrete or masonry

8. What limits timber construction in
“dts” Building Regs – Fire
• Spec C1.1 Clause 2.2 Support for Another
Part necessitates if the part it supports is
required to be non-combustible, then
that element is also required to be non-
combustible
• Therefore various walls supported by
floor, beams and columns must also be
non-combustible

9. Fire Resistance Level (FRL)
Full size fire resistance tests
OR
Fire resistance by calculation

10. Fire Resistance Criteria
Stability Integrity Insulation
Partition X X
Door X X
Load bearing wall X X X
Floor – ceiling X X X
Beam X
Column X
Fire resistant glazing X
60 / 60 / 60
- / 30 / -

11. Fire Protection – Two Methods Method
Wrapped in Plasterboard Exposed timber

12. Calculations by AS 1720.4
• Structural Only

13. Calculations by AS 1720.4

14. Integrity and Insulation
• Shortly an EXPAN design guide will
development a method for calculating
Integrity and Insulation for floor and wall
systems
• Basically it will say that 35 mm away from char
layer, timber’s temperature will be at room
temperature

15. Fire Protection
• Fire protection provided by increased
thickness to timber elements

16. Chat for FRL 90/90/90

17. Fire Protection
• Beam and columns
elements needs increased
thickness for fire so an
extra thickness is placed on
exposed faces
Timber fire protection

18. Fire Protection
• Shoulder to beam forms perfect corbel for floor
cassette to sit on the beam
Timber fire protection

19. Construction Fires
First Interstate Bank CA, USA

20. Construction Site Fire Safety
www.expan.com.au

21. WoodSolutions: Design Guides
• These free guides are related to fire design

22. WoodSolutions: Design Guides
• These free guides are related to fire
engineering and Alternative Solutions