Project Overview
Insurance provision for mass timber buildings remains challenging due to limited data on repair costs and methodologies after damage—whether by fire, water, infestation, or rot. Because repair protocols for traditional concrete or steel structures are comparatively well-established, insurers are sometimes reluctant to underwrite timber buildings without a clear understanding of their resilience and repairability. This knowledge gap leads many projects to default to non-biobased materials, hindering mass timber’s uptake despite its potential climate and environmental benefits.
In encouraging ‘repairability’ to be considered at the time of inception and as part of insurance provision, and consolidating international, state-of-the-art information on damage assessment and repair strategies in a convenient guide, the project aims to reduce uncertainty around repair costs and timelines. This will help reassure insurers, investors, and developers that mass timber can be safely and cost-effectively reinstated post-damage. Ultimately, bridging this knowledge gap promotes wider adoption of low-carbon timber construction, mitigating the sector’s climate impact while ensuring robust insurance coverage.
The mass timber repair guidance produced through this project will serve as a sister document to the internationally acclaimed Mass Timber Insurance Playbook.
Objectives
The primary objective is to develop a clear, science-based guide for assessing and repairing mass timber structures following damage. Specifically, the guide will:
- Consolidate international best practices, research, and methodologies around damage assessment (e.g., by fire, smoke, water, infestation, fungal rot).
- Outline standardised test suites to determine the extent of structural and aesthetic damage in a mass timber building.
- Provide step-by-step repair approaches, including where to find specialised expertise and how to coordinate restoration efforts efficiently.
- Demonstrate the potential cost and time benefits of well-documented repair pathways, reinforcing the business case for mass timber.
- Engage insurers, investors, and asset owners with a clear roadmap to evaluate risk, thereby increasing confidence and reducing insurance barriers.
- Support better terms for insurance through the pre-qualification of repair options where doubt and lack of knowledge and data are hindering insurance provision.
By fulfilling these objectives, the guide aims to:
- Enhance the commercial viability of mass timber construction by minimising uncertainty in repair scenarios.
- Enable stakeholders to design and operate mass timber buildings with clearer risk profiles, facilitating long-term sustainability and carbon benefits.
- Accelerate industry-wide acceptance and consistent underwriting of mass timber building projects.
The document will be developed in partnership with key industry and research bodies (e.g., RISCAuthority, and Eurban), ensuring it reflects the best available knowledge. Ultimately, the project will reduce risk perceptions and increase the adoption of mass timber systems.
Project stages
The project will use a collaborative, phased approach:
- Stakeholder & Expert Engagement: Engage with leading insurers, brokers, contractors, and research bodies to collect available data on repair strategies, materials performance under duress, and standard assessment procedures. Define the output format to maximise relevance for the intended audience.
- Literature Review & Data Consolidation: Compile international research, case studies, and guidance.
- Structured Analysis: Develop a flow chart that guides users from the type of damage (fire, water, fungus, etc.) to recommended assessment tests (resistive drilling, moisture measurement, etc.) and the relevant repair methods.
- Draft Guidance Document: Outline test suites in annexes, specify how each test reveals the state of the timber, and provide instructions on how best to reinstate damaged components.
- Peer Review & Validation: Industry experts, insurers, and research partners review the draft to ensure practicality, completeness, and scientific rigour.
- Final Publication & Dissemination: Produce the final guide (digital and print) and promote it through webinars, workshops, and Built by Nature/ASBP channels.
Completion is expected by the end of September 2026, with an iterative feedback loop from insurance and construction stakeholders to guarantee the document’s relevance and uptake.
With thanks to our funders
Implementing partners
- ASBP
- Glockling Consulting
- TIAS
- KLH
- Eurban
- Lignum Risk Partners
- Ramboll
- Elliott Wood
- Buro Happold
- Timber Innovation from Baden-Württemberg, Germany
- Byggeskadefonden, Denmark
Stakeholder group
- RISCAuthority
- PEFC UK
- Structural Timber Association
- Individual insurers and brokers
- Association of British Insurers (ABI)
- Heyne Tillett Steel
- Architype
- BE-ST
Find out more
For further information or to express interest, please contact:
Dr Asselia Katenbayeva, ASBP: assselia@asbp.org.uk
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