Growing concern about the global climate crisis, the UK Government’s net zero 2050 target and people’s attitudes towards the spaces they live and work in have created a substantial shift in demand for using mass timber within construction projects.
However despite this shift in demand, mass timber is often still seen as a challenging choice for many developments when compared with more conventional building materials such as concrete and steel.
To investigate the use of mass timber in office construction and to better understand the specific challenges being faced by the industry when using these technologies, G&T launched the Mass Timber Office Forum in 2020 which brought together panels of experts from across the industry to debate and discuss the barriers for using mass timber for commercial developments.
10 different panel discussions took place across 12 months involving more than 60 sector experts from fields such as insurance, building control, mass timber manufacturing and the supply chain. Not only were deliverable solutions identified, breakthrough collaborations were also formed enabling significant steps forward to encourage a greater uptake of mass timber across the industry.
The forums identified several key factors for ensuring success when using mass timber for office construction. These included the importance of choosing the right project team with the right experience from the outset of the project, having a robust fire and water strategy and involving building control early on in the decision-making process.
To read the full whitepaper visit GT Market Intelligence.