High-Rise Codes and Fire Loads: A Compromise in Trust

摘要

TODAY'S FIRES BURN WITH SUCH intensity that the structural integrity of high-rise buildings and other structures constructed worldwide are more susceptible to compromise and failure. This was evident on March 30, 2017, with the failure and collapse of a portion of the Interstate 85 highway overpass in Atlanta, Georgia.1 You would think that the massive concrete elements supporting a section of highway would survive exposure to fire, but they did not, and the highway collapsed. Would a concrete high-rise building fail under similar circumstances? Historically, high-rise structures are built of steel, reinforced concrete, or a combination of both. Now, wood with cross-laminated timber elements is being introduced to support high-rise "ply-scrapers" to grace our skylines and further challenge the fire service.