Publication
Fire performance of light timber frame construction in Europe: a review on fire protection measures and fire safety design
| Summary: | Timber construction is becoming increasingly relevant for the climate and energy transition of the building sector. Notably, modern multilayered light frame elements are attractive due to their versatility and ease of prefabrication, and they are now used in a wide range of building heights and occupancies. However, wood and wood-based products are combustible, and verifying the fire resistance of timber frame elements and certification of innovative eco-materials require appropriate design and fire testing. This work contextualises the relevance of European timber structures towards the green transition. It further discusses the fire performance and fire safety design of light timber frame systems, emphasising passive fire protection measures. The paper also briefly addresses new developments in Eurocode 5 related to fire resistance verification of light timber frame elements. Additionally, as increasingly complex and innovative assemblies arise in construction practice, developing advanced models, such as finite element and comprehensive multiscale models, is required for performance-based fire engineering and product development. These models simulate the thermal and structural behaviour of timber at elevated temperatures, providing practical tools for assessing fire resistance. Therefore, an instructive background on comprehensive models for modelling the fire behaviour of timber is presented. This work is intended to be a one-stop reference for understanding the relevance of timber elements in Europe and the fire protection and fire safety design strategies for light timber frame construction within the framework of European guidelines. |
|---|---|
| Main Authors: | Alves, Matheus Henrique |
| Other Authors: | Mesquita, Luís M.R.; Piloto, Paulo A.G.; Lopes, Nuno |
| Subject: | Light timber frame Light wood frame Fire safety Eurocode 5 Passive fire protection Simplified methods Comprehensive models |
| Year: | 2026 |
| Country: | Portugal |
| Document type: | article |
| Access type: | open access |
| Associated institution: | Instituto Politécnico de Bragança |
| Language: | English |
| Origin: | Biblioteca Digital do IPB |
| _version_ | 1867173050081869824 |
|---|---|
| author | Alves, Matheus Henrique |
| author2 | Mesquita, Luís M.R. Piloto, Paulo A.G. Lopes, Nuno |
| author2_role | author author author |
| author_facet | Alves, Matheus Henrique Mesquita, Luís M.R. Piloto, Paulo A.G. Lopes, Nuno |
| author_role | author |
| contributor_name_str_mv | Biblioteca Digital do IPB |
| country_str | PT |
| creators_json_txt | [{\"Person.name\":\"Alves, Matheus Henrique\",\"Person.identifier.orcid\":\"0000-0001-8139-6761\"},{\"Person.name\":\"Mesquita, Luís M.R.\",\"Person.identifier.orcid\":\"0000-0002-2385-4282\"},{\"Person.name\":\"Piloto, Paulo A.G.\",\"Person.identifier.orcid\":\"0000-0003-2834-0501\"},{\"Person.name\":\"Lopes, Nuno\"}] |
| datacite.contributors.contributor.contributorName.fl_str_mv | Biblioteca Digital do IPB |
| datacite.creators.creator.creatorName.fl_str_mv | Alves, Matheus Henrique Mesquita, Luís M.R. Piloto, Paulo A.G. Lopes, Nuno |
| datacite.date.Accepted.fl_str_mv | 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z |
| datacite.date.available.fl_str_mv | 2026-03-06T11:35:41Z |
| datacite.date.embargoed.fl_str_mv | 2026-03-06T11:35:41Z |
| datacite.rights.fl_str_mv | http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 |
| datacite.subjects.subject.fl_str_mv | Light timber frame Light wood frame Fire safety Eurocode 5 Passive fire protection Simplified methods Comprehensive models |
| datacite.titles.title.fl_str_mv | Fire performance of light timber frame construction in Europe: a review on fire protection measures and fire safety design |
| dc.contributor.none.fl_str_mv | Biblioteca Digital do IPB |
| dc.creator.none.fl_str_mv | Alves, Matheus Henrique Mesquita, Luís M.R. Piloto, Paulo A.G. Lopes, Nuno |
| dc.date.Accepted.fl_str_mv | 2026-01-01T00:00:00Z |
| dc.date.available.fl_str_mv | 2026-03-06T11:35:41Z |
| dc.date.embargoed.fl_str_mv | 2026-03-06T11:35:41Z |
| dc.format.none.fl_str_mv | application/pdf |
| dc.identifier.none.fl_str_mv | http://hdl.handle.net/10198/29264 |
| dc.language.none.fl_str_mv | eng |
| dc.publisher.none.fl_str_mv | Elsevier |
| dc.rights.cclincense.fl_str_mv | http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| dc.rights.none.fl_str_mv | http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2 |
| dc.subject.none.fl_str_mv | Light timber frame Light wood frame Fire safety Eurocode 5 Passive fire protection Simplified methods Comprehensive models |
| dc.title.fl_str_mv | Fire performance of light timber frame construction in Europe: a review on fire protection measures and fire safety design |
| dc.type.none.fl_str_mv | http://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501 |
| description | Timber construction is becoming increasingly relevant for the climate and energy transition of the building sector. Notably, modern multilayered light frame elements are attractive due to their versatility and ease of prefabrication, and they are now used in a wide range of building heights and occupancies. However, wood and wood-based products are combustible, and verifying the fire resistance of timber frame elements and certification of innovative eco-materials require appropriate design and fire testing. This work contextualises the relevance of European timber structures towards the green transition. It further discusses the fire performance and fire safety design of light timber frame systems, emphasising passive fire protection measures. The paper also briefly addresses new developments in Eurocode 5 related to fire resistance verification of light timber frame elements. Additionally, as increasingly complex and innovative assemblies arise in construction practice, developing advanced models, such as finite element and comprehensive multiscale models, is required for performance-based fire engineering and product development. These models simulate the thermal and structural behaviour of timber at elevated temperatures, providing practical tools for assessing fire resistance. Therefore, an instructive background on comprehensive models for modelling the fire behaviour of timber is presented. This work is intended to be a one-stop reference for understanding the relevance of timber elements in Europe and the fire protection and fire safety design strategies for light timber frame construction within the framework of European guidelines. |
| dirty | 0 |
| eu_rights_str_mv | openAccess |
| format | article |
| fulltext.url.fl_str_mv | https://bibliotecadigital.ipb.pt/bitstreams/38a9a40a-42d2-4fba-9847-7d22a867ad48/download |
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| identifier.url.fl_str_mv | http://hdl.handle.net/10198/29264 |
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| institution | Instituto Politécnico de Bragança |
| instname_str | Instituto Politécnico de Bragança |
| language | eng |
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| network_name_str | Biblioteca Digital do IPB |
| oai_identifier_str | oai:bibliotecadigital.ipb.pt:10198/29264 |
| organization_str_mv | urn:organizationAcronym:ipb |
| person_str_mv | Alves, Matheus Henrique Alves, Matheus Henrique https://www.ciencia-id.pt/DA1E-F1FC-B91E DA1E-F1FC-B91E http://orcid.org/0000-0001-8139-6761 0000-0001-8139-6761 Mesquita, Luís M.R. Mesquita, Luís M.R. https://www.ciencia-id.pt/401E-2FEC-8303 401E-2FEC-8303 http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2385-4282 0000-0002-2385-4282 Piloto, Paulo A.G. Piloto, Paulo A.G. https://www.ciencia-id.pt/0519-449D-6F13 0519-449D-6F13 http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2834-0501 0000-0003-2834-0501 Lopes, Nuno |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publisher.none.fl_str_mv | Elsevier |
| reponame_str | Biblioteca Digital do IPB |
| repository_id_str | urn:repositoryAcronym:ipb |
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| spelling | engElsevierTimber construction is becoming increasingly relevant for the climate and energy transition of the building sector. Notably, modern multilayered light frame elements are attractive due to their versatility and ease of prefabrication, and they are now used in a wide range of building heights and occupancies. However, wood and wood-based products are combustible, and verifying the fire resistance of timber frame elements and certification of innovative eco-materials require appropriate design and fire testing. This work contextualises the relevance of European timber structures towards the green transition. It further discusses the fire performance and fire safety design of light timber frame systems, emphasising passive fire protection measures. The paper also briefly addresses new developments in Eurocode 5 related to fire resistance verification of light timber frame elements. Additionally, as increasingly complex and innovative assemblies arise in construction practice, developing advanced models, such as finite element and comprehensive multiscale models, is required for performance-based fire engineering and product development. These models simulate the thermal and structural behaviour of timber at elevated temperatures, providing practical tools for assessing fire resistance. Therefore, an instructive background on comprehensive models for modelling the fire behaviour of timber is presented. This work is intended to be a one-stop reference for understanding the relevance of timber elements in Europe and the fire protection and fire safety design strategies for light timber frame construction within the framework of European guidelines.application/pdfpt_PTFire performance of light timber frame construction in Europe: a review on fire protection measures and fire safety designPersonalAlves, Matheus HenriqueDSpacehttp://dspace.org/items/589186bc-1902-41dc-b4ff-d6359a028987DSpacehttp://dspace.org/items/589186bc-1902-41dc-b4ff-d6359a028987AlvesMatheus HenriqueCiência IDhttps://www.ciencia-id.ptDA1E-F1FC-B91EORCIDhttp://orcid.org0000-0001-8139-6761PersonalMesquita, Luís M.R.DSpacehttp://dspace.org/items/3d08baba-b032-42c4-8244-94672c4611a1DSpacehttp://dspace.org/items/3d08baba-b032-42c4-8244-94672c4611a1MesquitaLuís M.R.Ciência IDhttps://www.ciencia-id.pt401E-2FEC-8303ORCIDhttp://orcid.org0000-0002-2385-4282Researcher IDhttps://www.researcherid.comF-2269-2010Scopus Author IDhttps://www.scopus.com8585923500PersonalPiloto, Paulo A.G.DSpacehttp://dspace.org/items/baaee084-ab97-4c95-b636-24ab6bab0e3eDSpacehttp://dspace.org/items/baaee084-ab97-4c95-b636-24ab6bab0e3ePilotoPaulo A.G.Ciência IDhttps://www.ciencia-id.pt0519-449D-6F13ORCIDhttp://orcid.org0000-0003-2834-0501Researcher IDhttps://www.researcherid.comB-4866-2008Scopus Author IDhttps://www.scopus.com6506406159Lopes, NunoHostingInstitutionOrganizationalBiblioteca Digital do IPBe-mailmailto:dspace@ipb.ptdspace@ipb.ptISSNIsPartOf2352-7102DOIIsPartOf10.1016/j.jobe.2026.1155002026-03-06T11:35:41Z20262026-01-01T00:00:00ZHandlehttp://hdl.handle.net/10198/29264http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2open accessLight timber frameLight wood frameFire safetyEurocode 5Passive fire protectionSimplified methodsComprehensive models6866595 bytesliteraturehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_6501journal article2026http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_abf2application/pdffulltexthttps://bibliotecadigital.ipb.pt/bitstreams/38a9a40a-42d2-4fba-9847-7d22a867ad48/downloadJournal of Building Engineering126 |
| spellingShingle | Fire performance of light timber frame construction in Europe: a review on fire protection measures and fire safety design Alves, Matheus Henrique Light timber frame Light wood frame Fire safety Eurocode 5 Passive fire protection Simplified methods Comprehensive models |
| status | SINGLETON |
| subject.fl_str_mv | Light timber frame Light wood frame Fire safety Eurocode 5 Passive fire protection Simplified methods Comprehensive models |
| title | Fire performance of light timber frame construction in Europe: a review on fire protection measures and fire safety design |
| title_full | Fire performance of light timber frame construction in Europe: a review on fire protection measures and fire safety design |
| title_fullStr | Fire performance of light timber frame construction in Europe: a review on fire protection measures and fire safety design |
| title_full_unstemmed | Fire performance of light timber frame construction in Europe: a review on fire protection measures and fire safety design |
| title_short | Fire performance of light timber frame construction in Europe: a review on fire protection measures and fire safety design |
| title_sort | Fire performance of light timber frame construction in Europe: a review on fire protection measures and fire safety design |
| topic | Light timber frame Light wood frame Fire safety Eurocode 5 Passive fire protection Simplified methods Comprehensive models |
| topic_facet | Light timber frame Light wood frame Fire safety Eurocode 5 Passive fire protection Simplified methods Comprehensive models |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/10198/29264 |
| visible | 1 |