The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) and its partners are pleased to announce a new project focused on improving the assessment and repair of mass timber buildings affected by damage. The initiative will develop practical guidance to help the sector respond with greater confidence to damage caused by fire, smoke, water, infestation and fungal rot, while also improving understanding of repair pathways, costs and timescales.
Insurance provision for mass timber buildings has improved since the launch of our Mass Timber Insurance Playbook, which has received international recognition.
However, significant barriers to scaling up mass timber remain. One of the key challenges is the limited evidence base on repair following damage caused by water, fire, fungal rot or infestation. There is far less shared knowledge on how damage should be investigated, how far it may extend, and what level of repair is appropriate than exists for steel and concrete structures, where insurers can typically draw on long-established repair protocols and more predictable cost models. Where repair routes are unclear, projects may default to non-biobased materials, even where mass timber could deliver substantial carbon and wider environmental benefits.
This project aims to reduce that uncertainty, increase confidence among insurers, and support project teams, by providing clearer approaches to damage investigation, repair, and reinstatement.
The project is funded by Built by Nature, with co-funding from RISCAuthority and PEFC UK. One of its key strengths is the breadth of expertise within the team. ASBP is leading and managing the work, while Jim Glockling, co-author of the Mass Timber Insurance Playbook, is providing technical direction. Implementing partners include TIAS, KLH, Eurban, Lignum Risk Partners, Ramboll, Elliott Wood, and Buro Happold. The wider stakeholder group includes insurers and brokers, the Association of British Insurers, B&K Hybrid Solutions, Heyne Tillett Steel, Architype, the Structural Timber Association, BE-ST, Timber Innovation from Baden-Württemberg in Germany, and Byggeskadefonden in Denmark.
The project brings together expertise from across the technical, insurance and delivery communities. This cross-sector input is essential to ensure the guidance is technically robust, credible to insurers and practical for those designing and delivering mass timber buildings.
The main output will be practical guidance on damage assessment and repair, which will:
- Consolidate international best practice and expert knowledge, so users are not relying on fragmented information
- Set out practical test suites for different forms of damage, including fire, smoke, water, moisture, rot and related issues, helping investigators choose proportionate methods of assessment
- Map repair pathways, so there is clearer agreement on the repair options available and the circumstances in which they are appropriate
- Support insurance pre-qualification by helping to define in advance, before any loss occurs, which repair approaches may be acceptable to insurers.
The broader point is this:
“If we can demonstrate that mass timber buildings can be assessed and repaired with rigour, clarity and speed, we remove a major barrier to mainstream adoption”.
The project started in January 2026 and will run for 14 months. We will also hold an in-person closing event, so please look out for further updates.
If you have a case study or relevant insights to share, please contact the project manager, Dr Asselia Katenbayeva, at asselia@asbp.org.uk.
