New White Paper Released on Mass Timber Construction in the UK

The RICAAuthority, an annually funded research scheme supported by 24 major United Kingdom insurers, has just released a new white paper on mass timber construction in the UK.

The report, “Insurance Challenges of Massive and Mass Timber Construction,” is recommending that hybrid structures combining traditional and modern method of construction may represent the best route forward to satisfying multiple considerations including insurance risks and carbon reduction.

RICAAuthority’s chairman, David Williams said that it should not be a surprise that insurance models and customer expectations may need to change “quite radically” to address substantial changes in material use and construction methods.

RISCAuthority’s Massive Timber Working group analyzed insurance challenges of newer proposed building methods with a view to assisting future dialogue in creating buildings that meet all needs of safety, carbon reduction, and resilience to the insured perils of fire, escape of water, and flood.

The report also says that if the UK Government is looking to promote massive timber methods in the country, then the specific development of the UK’s Approved Documents should be done in the same manner as the US International Building Code (IBC), saying it “would be one of the most beneficial things that could be done.”

The RISCAuthority’s membership has also outlined their desire that the white paper be used as a foundation for collaboration and encourage healthy dialogue between property insurers and all stakeholders involved in timber construction projects.