Neutral Publishes Groundbreaking 3hr Mass Timber Fire Test Results

Neutral publishes the results of a successful, first-of-its-kind 3-hour fire test for a hybrid mass timber building assembly with standard connectors for free use by industry practitioners. These results help solidify the future of building with mass timber and contribute to a larger trend toward sustainable construction.

MADISON, WI / ACCESS Newswire / August 19, 2025 /Neutral is a real estate development company focused on creating sustainable and healthy mixed-use communities, implementing mass timber as a sustainable alternative to conventional construction methods.

Neutral 1005 N Edison St in Milwaukee, WI is a record-setting project, slated to become the tallest composite mass timber building in the United States, and includes cross-laminated timber floor decks manufactured by Stora Enso and glulam beams and columns by WIEHAG.

"One major challenge for the success of, not just the Edison, but future tall timber buildings across the industry, was that many standard connection configurations had never been tested under a 3-hour fire-resistance rating (FRR)-a requirement essential to advancing tall mass timber construction, following the fire rating standards for IBC construction types I-A." - explains Josh Dortzbach of Forefront Structural Engineers.

Neutral conducted a series of fire resistance tests to determine a 3-hour FRR, proving equivalent performance of the mass timber structure with IBC construction type I-A. Test results exceeded expectations: the assemblies performed exceptionally under loaded fire conditions.

"True sustainability demands deep collaboration among developers, engineers, manufacturers, contractors, and future building users. Together, we 're not just building better buildings-we 're engineering a more sustainable future," says Daniel Glaessl, Partner and Chief Product Officer at Neutral

The test was conducted in the Spring of 2025 at SwRI lab in San Antonio, TX. It was prepared in collaboration with Forefront Structural Engineers, Arup as fire protection engineers, CDSmith as the general contractor, HPA as the architect, and other industry professionals.

The final round of column tests took place in late August 2025 and passed. The project team will soon publish its report as well.

Free Access to Test Results

Neutral is publishing the test results (report 1, report 2) for open use by industry researchers and practitioners around the world. This is the first successful implementation of the three-hour fire test of a mass timber assembly that illustrates the safety and potential of mass timber application in high-rise construction.

Tests of such complexity are often cost-prohibitive for private developments. By publishing the results in the open domain, Neutral hopes these results can be used as a reference for the proliferation of more sustainable development across the United States and the World.

"As we look to build more sustainably, there is value in making fire resistance tests available so that they can be utilized by other developers and designers as part of their justification for a high-rise mass timber building," says David Barber of Arup, a leading fire safety engineer.

For the full report and list of contributors, please see Neutral 's website.

SOURCE: Neutral

View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire

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