RC120 SeptOct 2025 - Magazine - Page 37
testing yard in Richmond, B.C. to do full-scale 昀椀re testing.
timber,” said Gaglione. “The results we’re seeing challenge
The facility is used by the Richmond Fire Department to
the perceived limits of mass timber construction within
practice rescue exercises.
both the industry and public perception.”
The demonstration involved setting the HTFS on 昀椀re to
The innovative 昀氀oor system started as an idea on paper
see how it burns in di昀昀erent conditions.
in 2019 and began to take shape during the COVID-19
“We had already done a small-scale 昀椀re test to inform the
pandemic. EllisDon partnered with DIALOG to develop
actual design of the product and this gave us the opportunity
the low-carbon, long-span alternative to concrete and steel.
to do a full-scale 昀椀re test,” said Davenport.
The research for the 昀氀oor system received funding from the
“We had sensors, it was heavily instrumented during
Government of Ontario and Natural Resources Canada.
The system is actually made
up of three separate elements that
already exist, explained Vincent
Davenport, director, Construction
Sciences, EllisDon. It incorporates
Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT)
as its base, with post tensioned
concrete on the underside and a
concrete topping to create a 40-foot
exposed timber span.
“We combined those three
things into one product so it’s an
innovation in that sense,” he noted.
“You get the bene昀椀t of all three
things in one panel product.”
The patent-pending system
boasts the strength of concrete with
the sustainability bene昀椀ts of mass
timber. The prefabricated 昀氀oor
panels are more durable, thinner
and can reduce embodied carbon
emissions by 25 per cent compared
to traditional concrete and steel
construction. The design also allows
for exposed timber 昀椀nishes, o昀昀ering
aesthetic appeal.
Furthermore, it allows builders to
use mass timber in ways that were
EllisDon’s Hybrid Timber Floor System incorporates Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) as its base, with post tensioned
traditionally reserved for concrete
concrete on the underside and a concrete topping to create a 40-foot exposed timber span.
and steel construction, such as
long-spanning structures, Gaglione
the test so we could understand how it was performing, its
explained.
de昀氀ection and also the temperature at di昀昀erent levels and
Developing the long-span timber 昀氀oor panel is part of
di昀昀erent parts during the 昀椀re. There was an academic portion
EllisDon’s commitment to advance the use and adoption of
that was informing us but it wasn’t a standardized test. It
mass timber across a variety of projects. The panel provides
was more of a demonstration burn so that people could come
a possible solution to maximize the use of mass timber in
and see how the system works.”
building typologies that are not readily conducive to typical
The team positioned the 40-foot 昀氀oor panel above a
mass timber framing such as commercial and institutional
controlled burn and placed 37,890 lbs of concrete blocks
projects. It enables large, open spaces often desired in
on top, equivalent to the weight of seven Ford F150 trucks.
commercial buildings without beams intruding into the
Controlled 昀椀res, monitored by 昀椀re昀椀ghters, were lit beneath
space.
the panel to test its capacity and structural integrity in the
Two full-scale panels measuring 40 feet long and 10
event of a large-scale 昀椀re.
feet wide have been undergoing structural testing at a lab
“We tested the product full scale, exactly how it would
on the west coast. EllisDon and DIALOG partnered with
be in real life if we were producing it for a project,” said
FPInnovations, a not-for-pro昀椀t research and development
Gaglione. “A box was built to contain the 昀椀re at the centre of
organization supporting the Canadian forest sector, to
the span which is the most susceptible part of the product.”
conduct the testing.
Once the 昀椀re was lit, it got to 900 degrees Celsius in 30
The opportunity came about to bring one of the
minutes.
prototypes out of the structure testing lab and into a 昀椀re
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2025 – RENEW CANADA 37
