EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
PURPOSE OF THE COMMERCIAL TIMBER GUIDEBOOK
The adoption of mass timber in large-scale commercial construction in the UK has been slower than anticipated, despite the increasing interest in mass timber as a sustainable building material.
This hesitancy stems from concerns about durability and moisture, fire safety, and as a result the challenge of obtaining sustainable property insurance. These issues are compounded by a lack of comprehensive guidance specific to mass timber construction. The Commercial Timber Guidebook has been developed to address these challenges. It provides good practice technical guidance to demonstrate how mass timber buildings are designed and constructed to be robust, addressing key concerns about fire safety and durability risks. The Guidebook sits alongside the Mass Timber Insurance Playbook (MTIP). While the MTIP provides a framework for understanding the risks perceived by insurers, the CTG offers the detailed technical information to mitigate these risks, with the aim of improving the insurability of mass timber buildings. This coordinated effort fosters better communication between developers and insurers, promoting a shared understanding of mass timber’s risks and benefits. An expert fire panel was also established to create consistent fire safety principles, which will further improve industry confidence in insuring mass timber structures.
GUIDANCE OVERVIEW
The main part of the Guidebook is divided into Mass Timber Background (chapters 2&3), Technical Guidance (chapters 4&5) and Illustrative Examples (chapter 6), offering context for mass timber and strategies for addressing key challenges. Each chapter starts with an executive summary to allow readers from different backgrounds to quickly understand the essential concepts. The mass timber background and technical guidance is summarised as follows: Insurance The Guidebook provides context of mass timber buildings in the UK from the perspective of the insurance sector. It summarises current available risk guidance documents, and how the construction and insurance sectors have learnt from experience when designing mass timber buildings. Timber Offices Mass timber buildings, especially office spaces, are gaining popularity due to environmental benefits like reduced carbon emissions and improved aesthetics. The Guidebook provides key design considerations for adaptable, sustainable offices using engineered timber, addressing challenges in architectural and structural design. Moisture and durability Timber’s durability depends on how well it is protected from moisture. The Guidebook identifies moisture as a key risk and provides strategies to mitigate this risk throughout the building’s lifecycle, ensuring long-term performance.
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