The requirements in Sentences 3.1.6.9.(1), (2), (4) and (5) are intended to reduce the potential for fire spread on the exterior cladding of buildings of encapsulated mass timber construction through the use of noncombustible finishes on the exterior of the wall assembly or the use of a cladding/wall assembly that has been proven to resist flame propagation as a function of increasing building height, including provisions to allow 100% combustible cladding where the height does not exceed 4 storeys. These cladding/wall assembly combinations can be used as infill or panel-type walls between structural elements, or attached directly to a loadbearing structural system. Note that the requirements in Article 3.1.6.9. do not supersede the provisions in Subsection 3.2.3. regarding spatial separation and exposure protection.