Self-extinguishing timber buildings: a climate change solution?

 

The Future Timber Hub is proud of this 2019 TEDxUQ presentation by Carmen Gorska Putynska on "Self-extinguishing timber buildings: a climate change solution?". 

Carmen is a Fire Safety Engineer, and recently finished her PhD at The University of Queensland.  During her PhD studies she assisted on the Future Timber Hub Project "Exploring the self-extinguishment mechanism of engineered timber in full-scale compartment fires".

Fire Engineering is a fascinating growing field that studies how new technologies, materials, and architectures affect a potential fire. Carmen’s research specifically focused on timber housing and how to make it fireproof. In the last three years, she has been burning and testing timber houses of different shapes and sizes in order to understand, predict, and prevent the devastating consequences that a real fire can cause. This research is part of a greater movement that aims to use timber housing as a means to reduce global warming. In her talk, Carmen shares how timber, a renewable material with a negligible carbon footprint, can become the material for future housing.

About TEDxUQ

TEDxUQ is an annual independently organised TEDx event that first started in 2011. Run entirely by a team of passionate volunteers, including undergraduate and postgraduate UQ students, TEDxUQ brings a TED-like experience to the UQ and wider Brisbane communities.

News Item