LEADERSHIP & STRATEGY
‘ Clearly Mjøstårnet is set to be a striking structure that suggests a positive step towards a C02 neutral society . But there remains one big discussion point around the viability of timber as a central building material : the risk of fire ’
Crucially , the use of glulam ( glued laminated timber ) plays a pivotal role in preventing the building from collapse should a fire occur . Burnout tests were carried out in 2016 that saw large glulam columns put in a furnace to undergo an ISO fire for 90 minutes . When the burners were shut off the glulam continued to char a little more . After several hours the temperature in all columns declined and the burning stopped . This proves that the large glulam columns will self-extinguish . Or , as Abrahamsen puts it : “ It ’ s a bit like lighting a fire at home , where you ’ d use small sticks to light the fire with a larger log in the middle . When you go to sleep that night , the wood will continue to burn , but the next day the small sticks will have burnt away while the big log in the middle will still be there . It ’ s charred but it cannot be burned any further because it self-extinguishes .”
14 January 2018