Finalisation of the European Approach to Assess the Fire Performance of Facades—Brief Information on the Outcome of the Project

ABSTRACT This research was conducted within the framework of project SI2.825082, funded by the European Commission—DG GROW. The project's objective was to finalise a European approach for assessing the fire performance of façades under medium and large fire exposure conditions. The national standards BS 8414‐1:2020/BS 8414‐2:2020 and DIN 4102‐20:2017 served as the foundation for developing the new assessment method. As part of the project, a theoretical round robin, initial testing activities and a large‐scale experimental round robin were carried out. The theoretical round robin aimed to examine how different laboratories interpreted the preliminary assessment method. Subsequently, the initial testing phase explored the design of the fire source, combustion chamber and secondary opening. The experimental round robin involved testing four façade systems across three laboratories using the assessment method documents, resulting in 12 tests for medium‐scale and 12 for large‐scale exposure—24 tests in total. These tests provided data to develop a calibration scheme and define appropriate performance criteria for classification. In this paper, the representatives of the project consortium summarise the research process and outline the proposed testing and evaluation methodology, which is intended to form the foundation of a future European testing standard for façades. The article also highlights the need for further research to establish rules for extended application of test results.