Designing Buildings - User contributions [en]

ASBP Reuse Now Campaign relaunched

2023-08-10T10:49:42Z

ASBP: Created page with "File:Reuse Now banner (no logo).png The [https://asbp.org.uk/ Alliance for Sustainable Building Products] is pleased to announce the re-launch of its pioneering "Reuse ..."

[[File:Reuse Now banner (no logo).png]]

The [https://asbp.org.uk/ Alliance for Sustainable Building Products] is pleased to announce the re-launch of its pioneering "Reuse Now" campaign. The campaign aims to accelerate the adoption of reused building products in the construction industry, driving positive environmental and economic impacts and accelerate the transition to a more resource efficient, low carbon, circular economy.

The construction industry accounts for over a third of global carbon emissions and produces around 60 million tonnes of construction and demolition waste annually in the UK. Whilst much of this is recovered and recycled, only a small percentage is reused. This creates a significant opportunity to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint, minimise waste and deliver cost efficiencies. [https://green-alliance.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Less_in_more_out.pdf Estimates suggest] that by increasing our reuse of construction products, 22.3 MtCO2e of GHG emissions could be saved during the UK’s fourth and fifth carbon budgets between 2023 and 2034.

The "Reuse Now" Campaign aims to drive change in the built environment sector by:

* Raising Awareness across the supply chain about the significant environmental benefits of reusing building products, including waste reduction, carbon reduction and economic benefits.
* Sharing Knowledge through practical, interactive workshops, events, and online resources.
* Fostering Collaboration with stakeholders from across industry to build a robust knowledge sharing network that ensures the availability and accessibility of high-quality reused products.
* Showcasing Success Stories that have successfully embraced reuse building products and prove that lower carbon supply chain models not only benefit the environment but can also offer economic advantages and innovative design possibilities.

“Through the ‘Reuse Now’ campaign, we aim to support the construction industry to deliver practical, feasible solutions that will accelerate the reuse of materials” said Debbie Ward the Reuse Now Campaign Lead at ASBP. "By encouraging the specification and installation of reuse building products, we can significantly reduce our carbon emissions and move closer towards a circular economy."

The "Reuse Now" campaign builds upon the ASBP-led DISRUPT projects, which explore innovative ways to reuse structural steel in construction through the creation and adoption of new circular business models. Additionally, the campaign is a continuation of successful events and case studies from DISRUPT I, such as the Entopia Building and Holbein Gardens, to highlight organisations at the forefront of reuse and showcase the potential of lower carbon construction practices.

[[File:Entopia image 4 Architype.png]]

The Entopia Building, showcasing reuse steel. Image Credit - Architype

We need your support! We are looking for forward thinking organisations to sponsor the campaign. If you are interested in sponsoring, learning more, or how you can get involved, please visit [https://asbp.org.uk/workstream/reuse-now https://asbp.org.uk/workstream/reuse-now] or contact Debbie Ward at [mailto:debbie.ward@asbp.org.uk?subject=Reuse%20Now%20Campaign debbie.ward@asbp.org.uk].

[[Category:Research_/_Innovation]] [[Category:Client_procedures]] [[Category:Construction_techniques]] [[Category:Design]] [[Category:Products_/_components]] [[Category:Circular_economy]]

File:Reuse Now banner (no logo).png

2023-08-10T10:48:41Z

ASBP:

File:Entopia image 4 Architype.png

2023-08-10T10:47:52Z

ASBP:

Vital toolkit published to reduce avoidable packaging waste in the construction industry

2023-05-24T13:22:53Z

ASBP:

[[File:TOOLKIT SS.png]]

The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) has launched an important new toolkit to aid the construction industry in avoiding unnecessary packaging waste

The toolkit has been developed as part of the Zero Avoidable Packaging Waste in Construction (ZAP) project, funded by the Ecosurety Exploration Fund, which has explored scalable solutions to help combat the prevalence of avoidable packaging plastic waste in construction, much of which is not recycled.

Project partners include ASBP, Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST), award-winning architects Cullinan Studio and leading construction firms Mace and Morgan Sindall. Working with BOST and Cullinan Studio, the redevelopment of the Marlborough Sports Garden in London has acted as a live case study to understand the ability to design out packaging waste in construction and operation.

[[File:MarlboroughSportsGarden-02 CullinanStudio.png]]

Marlborough Sports Garden (Credit – Cullinan Studio)

== A prevalence of packaging in construction ==

There is little recent substantive data and a lack of holistic understanding of the various packaging types that are used for the vast array of products that enter a construction site, and their waste management both on and offsite. Notably, construction as a sector is the second-highest consumer of plastics.

Packaging waste may account for between 5% and 50% by volume of a construction project’s total waste, with an average of 34% by volume. An initial desktop study as part of the ZAP project found that there are very few industry-wide initiatives to reduce packaging in construction sector, although a fair proportion of individual organisations are looking at eliminating, reducing and optimising packaging. Publicly declared commitments however appear to be limited, though some companies have targets to utilise packaging with increased recycled content.

And what about plastic? Approximately 55,000 tonnes of plastic waste comes from UK construction sites every year, of which it is estimated 35,000 tonnes is packaging, much of which is for protection of product and logistics. Less than half of this is plastic packaging is sent for recycling with the majority being sent to landfill or incineration for energy recovery.

What is in the toolkit and who is it for?

The toolkit provides one pagers, checklists and case studies aimed at the whole supply chain, including clients, designers, contractors and manufacturers. Key stakeholders from across the supply chain were engaged at all levels of the toolkit development, enabling the project to take a deep dive into the barriers and explore practical, scalable solutions.

Larry Tate, ZAP Project Manager and ASBP Projects and Communications Coordinator says:

“The toolkit is designed to be an interactive, easily digestible set of short guidance notes relevant to industries across the sector. This includes ‘one-pagers’, top tips, and real-world examples and case studies. Practical tools are included to aid the industry in taking further steps in first reducing packaging waste, as well as identifying reuse opportunities and increasing recycling and recycled content. Importantly, this toolkit offers solutions which aim to divert the tide of construction packaging waste that still goes to landfill or incineration”.

[https://asbp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ZAP-Toolkit-v1.pdf Download the ZAP Toolkit]

== Project background ==

The ZAP Project was funded by the Ecosurety Exploration Fund, first launched in November 2019 to support projects addressing the environmental challenges presented by packaging, batteries or e-waste. The fund has now completed and has supported eight projects in total, with some recently reaching fruition including the innovative CellMine project, an innovative, low-impact recycling process for lithium-ion batteries, and BOSS 2D, which aimed to accurately sort flexible plastic film into uncontaminated, material specific waste streams.

== About the ASBP ==

The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) is a cross sector, not-for-profit, membership organisation, comprising of building product manufacturers and distributors, specifiers, designers, contractors, public interest and sustainability organisations, and other building practitioners.

The ASBP is committed to accelerating the transition to a high performance, healthy and low carbon, built environment by championing the increased understanding and use of building products that meet demonstrably high standards of sustainability.

Please see [https://asbp.org.uk/asbp-news/www.asbp.org.uk%20 www.asbp.org.uk] for more information.

File:TOOLKIT SS.png

2023-05-24T13:22:12Z

ASBP:

File:MarlboroughSportsGarden-02 CullinanStudio.png

2023-05-24T13:21:21Z

ASBP:

Vital toolkit published to reduce avoidable packaging waste in the construction industry

2023-05-24T13:20:29Z

ASBP: Created page with "973px The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) has launched an important new toolkit to aid the construction ind..."

[[File:TOOLKIT-SS.png?resize=1200%2C328&ssl=1|973px]]

The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) has launched an important new toolkit to aid the construction industry in avoiding unnecessary packaging waste

The toolkit has been developed as part of the Zero Avoidable Packaging Waste in Construction (ZAP) project, funded by the Ecosurety Exploration Fund, which has explored scalable solutions to help combat the prevalence of avoidable packaging plastic waste in construction, much of which is not recycled.

Project partners include ASBP, Bankside Open Spaces Trust (BOST), award-winning architects Cullinan Studio and leading construction firms Mace and Morgan Sindall. Working with BOST and Cullinan Studio, the redevelopment of the Marlborough Sports Garden in London has acted as a live case study to understand the ability to design out packaging waste in construction and operation.

[[File:MarlboroughSportsGarden-02_CullinanStudio.png?resize=1200%2C675&ssl=1|973px]]

Marlborough Sports Garden (Credit – Cullinan Studio)

A prevalence of packaging in construction

There is little recent substantive data and a lack of holistic understanding of the various packaging types that are used for the vast array of products that enter a construction site, and their waste management both on and offsite. Notably, construction as a sector is the second-highest consumer of plastics.

Packaging waste may account for between 5% and 50% by volume of a construction project’s total waste, with an average of 34% by volume. An initial desktop study as part of the ZAP project found that there are very few industry-wide initiatives to reduce packaging in construction sector, although a fair proportion of individual organisations are looking at eliminating, reducing and optimising packaging. Publicly declared commitments however appear to be limited, though some companies have targets to utilise packaging with increased recycled content.

And what about plastic? Approximately 55,000 tonnes of plastic waste comes from UK construction sites every year, of which it is estimated 35,000 tonnes is packaging, much of which is for protection of product and logistics. Less than half of this is plastic packaging is sent for recycling with the majority being sent to landfill or incineration for energy recovery.

What is in the toolkit and who is it for?

The toolkit provides one pagers, checklists and case studies aimed at the whole supply chain, including clients, designers, contractors and manufacturers. Key stakeholders from across the supply chain were engaged at all levels of the toolkit development, enabling the project to take a deep dive into the barriers and explore practical, scalable solutions.

Larry Tate, ZAP Project Manager and ASBP Projects and Communications Coordinator says:

“The toolkit is designed to be an interactive, easily digestible set of short guidance notes relevant to industries across the sector. This includes ‘one-pagers’, top tips, and real-world examples and case studies. Practical tools are included to aid the industry in taking further steps in first reducing packaging waste, as well as identifying reuse opportunities and increasing recycling and recycled content. Importantly, this toolkit offers solutions which aim to divert the tide of construction packaging waste that still goes to landfill or incineration”.

[https://asbp.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/ZAP-Toolkit-v1.pdf Download the ZAP Toolkit]

Project background

The ZAP Project was funded by the Ecosurety Exploration Fund, first launched in November 2019 to support projects addressing the environmental challenges presented by packaging, batteries or e-waste. The fund has now completed and has supported eight projects in total, with some recently reaching fruition including the innovative CellMine project, an innovative, low-impact recycling process for lithium-ion batteries, and BOSS 2D, which aimed to accurately sort flexible plastic film into uncontaminated, material specific waste streams.

About the ASBP

The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) is a cross sector, not-for-profit, membership organisation, comprising of building product manufacturers and distributors, specifiers, designers, contractors, public interest and sustainability organisations, and other building practitioners.

The ASBP is committed to accelerating the transition to a high performance, healthy and low carbon, built environment by championing the increased understanding and use of building products that meet demonstrably high standards of sustainability.

Please see [https://asbp.org.uk/asbp-news/www.asbp.org.uk%20 www.asbp.org.uk] for more information.

Tile roofing

2023-05-03T14:15:43Z

ASBP:

[[File:Tiles_clay_concrete_900.jpg|link=File:Tiles_clay_concrete_900.jpg]]

= What is tile roofing ? =

Tile roofing is a very common style of roofing found throughout the world. The tiles used tiles can be made of fired or sometimes unfired clay or differing mixes of concrete, these being heard wearing, heavy materials with high thermal mass, so can be used in hot as well as temperate climates. The shape colour and finish of the tiles used can vary significantly, with many curved designs as well as simple flat designs many are designed to interlock when laid to create better seals.

= A brief history of tile roofing =

Indication is that clay roofing tiles were used in ancient China from as far back as 10,000 BC, as well as slightly later in the Middle East, whilst the first baked single lap earthen clay roofs are thought to date around 2700 BC.It is clear that different forms of clay roofing tiles were used in ancient Greece as well as by the Egyptians, whilst the Romans used tiles extensively and brought their fired clay tile approach to the UK. Although clay tiles were used less after the Roman occupation and relatively rarely during the Medieval period, we still refer to specific designs as Roman tiles, a simple flat surface with ribbed curves that interlock.

[[File:Tiles_roman_900.jpg|link=File:Tiles_roman_900.jpg]]

It wasn't until the 1200's that tiles were used again in the UK, prompted in part by a landmark fire in the London Borough of Southwark. King John as a result decreed that thatch roof covering be banned, and thus were commonly replaced with tile, more specifically a simple design of tile called the peg tile, which had simple holes to one side for fixing. This approach was further adopted by the Church and tiles later became standardised and further entrenched in British society by King Edward in the late 1400's.

[[File:Tiles_Flat_Vegetation_900.jpg|link=File:Tiles_Flat_Vegetation_900.jpg]]

Whilst alternative solutions, in particular slate roofing continued to be used, clay tile industries of various sizes developed across the country, from small local kilns to larger production centres across Shropshire, Staffs and Leicestershire. Clay tiles became a common feature of grander houses of the Tudor period up to the 1600's and the Stuarts up to the 1700's with regional variations across the UK. Around this time because costs had reduced in certain areas of the UK tile hanging became a popular way to cover wattle and daub of timber frame houses, adding greater protection against the weather. By the late 1700's this vertical use of the tile was further encouraged by the brick tax introduced by King George III which many believe to have lead to a particular innovation in the tile industry called the mathematical tile. The mathematical tile was a tile hung solution that created tightly interlocking units that were fixed as normal hung tiles but resembled a brick wall from the outside. However the tax known as the brick tax, in actuality, was a brick and tile tax and so tiles were also subject to the same tax. Existing examples of the mathematical tile are relatively rare, however the use of tiles and particularly hanging tiles on upper levels is found throughout Georgian period architecture and into the Victorian age. In particular, the Arts and Crafts movement from around the mid 1800's embraced the earthen crafts of the clay tile as well as its use as a facade material.

= Types of Tile =

There are many many different specific styles and types of roof tile, from clay or concrete, with different profiles and purposes, both traditional designs, modern interpretation of historical styles and contemporary designs, here are some examples listed in no particular order;

* Flat tile
* Plain tile
* Single camber Plain tile
* Double camber Plain tile
* Peg tile
* Pantile
* Imbrex and tegula tiles
* Single Roman
* Double Roman
* Monk and nun tiles
* Anti fixes
* Hiptiles
* Hanging tile
* Mathematical tile

= Related articles on Designing Buildings =

* Battens.
* Ceiling tiles.
* Ceramic tiles.
* Domestic roofs.
* Flashing.
* Flat roof defects.
* Metal profile cladding.
* Metal roofing.
* Nails - a brief history.
* Photocatalytic tiles.
* Pitched roof.
* Roof coverings.
* Roof insulation.
* Roof slates.
* Roofing defects.
* Shingle roofing.
* Thatch roofing.
* Tiles.
* Types of nails.
* Types of roof.
* Weatherboarding.

[[Category:DCN_Commentary]] [[Category:DCN_Definition]] [[Category:DCN_Product_Knowledge]] [[Category:History]]

New guidance launched to facilitate insurance of mass timber buildings

2023-05-03T12:40:19Z

ASBP:

[[File:ASBP_mass_timber_Ins_playbook.jpg|link=File:ASBP_mass_timber_Ins_playbook.jpg]]

= The Mass Timber Insurance Playbook =

ASBP and partners are releasing new guidance to enable a collaborative approach between construction teams and insurers, opening the door to more equitable insurance for mass timber buildings.

Mass timber has the potential to reduce the embodied impact of construction versus more conventional materials such as concrete and steel. It is strong and light, and as a natural material, has a strong aesthetic appeal. But, especially since the Grenfell disaster, mass timber projects have sometimes faced difficulty securing insurance.

[https://asbp.org.uk/project/mass-timber-insurance-playbook The Mass Timber Insurance Playbook] is a direct response to the challenges developers have faced, providing guidance for all parties involved in arranging insurance - for both development and operation of projects.

The Playbook was written by insurance and building resilience specialists, to help stakeholders in the insurance and construction industries to understand each other’s priorities and language. The aim is to enable constructive communication, to help overcome gaps in understanding that sometimes hold back mass timber construction.

= Lack of confidence in regulations =

The guidance has become particularly necessary after the major loss of confidence in regulation triggered by the cladding crisis.

Beyond the obvious question of whether the regulations actually achieve what they set out to, they are only concerned with occupant escape, and not building protection. There is nothing in regulations about structural integrity, beyond what is needed in terms of rescue time. But structural integrity is also of concern to insurers because the extent of damage will affect the extent of loss. This is addressed in the Playbook.

= Beyond timber, beyond fire: Safety demands quality =

There is more to fire risk than simply the presence or absence of combustible materials, and more to construction risk than just fire. The Playbook is not just for mass timber projects – the principles apply in every project.

The guidance covers construction quality control, record keeping, and building management, which are all central to building safety. It also addresses water damage in construction, a huge issue in insurance.

The steps to a safe and insurable building apply for all construction methods and at all scales.

= What is in the Playbook? =

Simon Corbey, ASBP’s Director, says the Mass Timber Insurance Playbook is a relevant and practical resource, that dovetails into the construction process from early concept through to operation. It encourages early-stage engagement of all parties, as a key element of success in the design and planning processes.

The construction phase was important to include, as there are different risks involved - before fire resisting surfaces have been installed, for example.

The Playbook offers project owners a framework for demonstrating to insurers the way risk is being addressed and mitigated, via transparent and well-thought-out processes. If the insurer can understand these and be satisfied that they are well controlled throughout the design and construction process and on into the building’s use, then they have a lot more of the information they need to assess the risk they are insuring.

The perspectives of the client, designer, architect, insurer, broker, lender, fire service, fire engineer, and building control, can all be different. The Playbook provides a common ground, following the RIBA stages, that can be used for all parties at any stage, as a reference point for what is relevant and required by insurers.

At the core of the document is a series of guidance sheets tying in with the RIBA stages. Annexes address insurability issues and example solutions.

The Playbook follows guidance on protection of buildings (BDM 01) as established by the insurance industry’s joint risk assessment authority RISC.

Road testing at a series of stakeholder engagement events ensured it is representative of best practice from both construction and the insurance and risk sectors.

= Background to the project =

The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) was awarded a grant from the Accelerator Fund from Built by Nature, co-funded by global insurance broker Marsh, and Zurich Resilience Solutions, part of Zurich Insurance Group, to create an industry endorsed guidance and Playbook for developers, investors and designers.

The main authors are Philip Callow and Jim Glockling. Philip is a 20-year veteran of the global construction insurance market, both as a broker and underwriter across the London and Asian regions. Jim is the recent Technical Director of the Fire Protection Association (FPA) and ex-Director of the RISCAuthority with 30 years’ experience, researching, evaluating, certificating and developing tools, standards, product and methods, in support of resilience within the insured commercial and military estates.

The project has been managed by the team at ASBP, led by Director Simon Corbey MSc MRICS, with input from Eurban and Gardiner and Theobald.

The MTIP provides succinct background and context to the insurance market on what is relevant for underwriters and on the responsibilities of developers and contracting parties towards risk identification and mitigation when executing a project. Responding to the UK insurers’ white paper “Insurance Challenges of Massive Timber Construction and a possible way forward” produced by RISCAuthority, the Playbook uses well adopted resilience reasoning embedded within the RIBA framework.

RIBA have acted as peer reviewers and will link to the Playbook post launch. The Playbook has been road tested at four stakeholder engagement events, with comments from a wide range of stakeholders incorporated.

The Playbook will launch at Zurich HQ, London on 4th May at a by invitation only event, hosted by Zurich and ASBP. The Playbook will be available as a free download from the ASBP and Built by Nature websites from 5th May. There is a concluding [https://asbp.org.uk/events/webinar-mass-timber-insurance-playbook-launch online free event] on 25th May at midday, with contributions from the authors and contributors.

Jim Glockling has been invited to give a keynote speech at an insurance-focussed sub-group of the European COST Action – Holistic Design of Tall Timber Buildings (HELEN) on 15th May in Lisbon. The whole team including Robert Innes from Zurich will be speaking at Footprint in Brighton on 6th June, 13.45-14.30.

= Quotes =

Olly Booth, timber specialist and partner at property consultancy Gardiner Theobald, Speaking at a [https://asbp.org.uk/project/mass-timber-insurance-playbook Mass Timber stakeholder workshop]:

“This new guidance is incredibly important. There has been a lack of understanding of how risks are mitigated by design and construction teams, which have been holding back mass timber construction. Mass timber has been on the back foot and insurance is by far the biggest thing making projects stall. There’s a lot of pointers in the Playbook that we should be adopting on all our projects.”

Co-author of the guidance, construction risk expert Jim Glockling:

“Insurance industry concerns are not kneejerk. They are genuine concerns that need addressing. The problem is that stakeholders each speak a very different language, and not all stakeholders are engaged at the right time.”

Playbook co-author Philip Callow of Mass Timber Risk Consulting:

“My research has made it very clear that communication is the key to progress. For the most part trades are doing the right thing, but when communication fails that is almost always where the issues lie. There has absolutely been a disconnect in this area. The cladding crisis exposed the fact that understanding and regulation of fire risks in construction was not fit to be relied upon. This has made insurers wary about buildings with any combustible components. Simply complying with the regulation is not sufficient to give insurers comfort. The playbook is also relevant in other geographies, where we are also seeing huge growth in interest in mass timber construction. In some places such as North America and parts of Nonetheless insurers have the same concerns."

Sarah Newine Moore, architect at Eurban

“Eurban’s approach is to protect the “golden thread” on every project, to ensure the original design intent and all its provisions for safety and performance are preserved. Dame Judith Hackitt articulated the “golden thread” principle in her report on safety in large and complex projects, written in response to the Grenfell disaster. Dame Judith called for meticulous information tracking – a key element in the Playbook framework. The golden thread principle emphasises the need to get people on board on the design team who have the competence to preserve that intent safely through the inevitable revisions in a construction process. It is not only fire that concerns us. An absolutely key thing is to protect the structure form moisture get the building watertight very quickly. This is something we put a great deal of energy and creativity into.”

= About the ASBP =

The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) is a cross sector, not-for-profit, membership organisation, comprising, building product manufacturers and distributors, specifiers, designers, contractors, public interest and sustainability organisations, and other building practitioners.

The ASBP is committed to accelerating the transition to a high performance, healthy and low carbon, built environment by championing the increased understanding and use of building products that meet demonstrably high standards of sustainability.

The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products was launched at an event at the Palace of Westminster in November 2011 and now has over 130 members.

Please see [https://asbp.org.uk/ www.asbp.org.uk] for more information.

-----
This article is provided by the AECB Press release "New guidance launched to facilitate insurance of mass timber buildings" dated May 4, 2023.

--[[User:ASBP|ASBP]]

= Related articles on Designing Buildings =

* A guide to the use of urban timber FB 50.
* Biomaterial.
* Carpentry.
* Compressive strength of timber lattice columns for low-rise construction.
* Cross-laminated timber.
* Decking boards.
* Facts about forestry.
* Forest Stewardship Council.
* Glulam.
* Guidance for insuring mass timber buildings.
* Hammerbeam roof.
* Hardwood.
* In-situ reinforcement of timber beams.
* Janka hardness rating scale.
* Laminated veneer lumber LVL.
* Legally harvested and traded timber.
* Lime wood.
* Mass timber: challenges and potential solutions.
* Mass timber insurance guidance playbook proposed.
* Modified wood.
* Nails - a brief history.
* New guidance launched to facilitate insurance of mass timber buildings.
* Panelling.
* Physical Properties of Wood.
* Plywood.
* Predicting service life of timber structures.
* Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification.
* Properties of mahogany.
* Recognising wood rot and insect damage in buildings.
* Softwood.
* Sustainable timber.
* Testing timber.
* The differences between hardwood and softwood.
* Timber and healthy interiors.
* Timber construction for London.
* Timber frame.
* Timber framed buildings and fire.
* Timber preservation.
* Timber vs wood.
* Types of timber.
* Wainscoting.
* Whole life carbon assessment of timber.
* Wood and educational buildings.
* Wood around the world.
* Wood, embodied carbon and operational carbon.
* Wrot timber.

= External links =

Built by Nature: [https://builtbn.org/ https://builtbn.org]

RISCAuthority Report “Insurance Challenges of Mass Timber Construction” [https://www.thefpa.co.uk/resource-download/401 https://www.thefpa.co.uk/resource-download/401]

Timber Accelerator Hub: Mass Timber – Challenges and Potential Solutions: [https://asbp.org.uk/project/asbp-tah https://asbp.org.uk/project/asbp-tah]

[[Category:Education]] [[Category:Publications_/_reports]] [[Category:Research_/_Innovation]] [[Category:Regulations]] [[Category:Standards_/_measurements]] [[Category:Sustainability]]

New guidance launched to facilitate insurance of mass timber buildings

2023-05-03T12:38:53Z

ASBP:

[[File:ASBP mass timber Ins playbook.jpg]]

= The Mass Timber Insurance Playbook =

ASBP and partners are releasing new guidance to enable a collaborative approach between construction teams and insurers, opening the door to more equitable insurance for mass timber buildings.

Mass timber has the potential to reduce the embodied impact of construction versus more conventional materials such as concrete and steel. It is strong and light, and as a natural material, has a strong aesthetic appeal. But, especially since the Grenfell disaster, mass timber projects have sometimes faced difficulty securing insurance.

[https://asbp.org.uk/project/mass-timber-insurance-playbook The Mass Timber Insurance Playbook] is a direct response to the challenges developers have faced, providing guidance for all parties involved in arranging insurance - for both development and operation of projects.

The Playbook was written by insurance and building resilience specialists, to help stakeholders in the insurance and construction industries to understand each other’s priorities and language. The aim is to enable constructive communication, to help overcome gaps in understanding that sometimes hold back mass timber construction.

= Lack of confidence in regulations =

The guidance has become particularly necessary after the major loss of confidence in regulation triggered by the cladding crisis.

Beyond the obvious question of whether the regulations actually achieve what they set out to, they are only concerned with occupant escape, and not building protection. There is nothing in regulations about structural integrity, beyond what is needed in terms of rescue time. But structural integrity is also of concern to insurers because the extent of damage will affect the extent of loss. This is addressed in the Playbook.

= Beyond timber, beyond fire: Safety demands quality =

There is more to fire risk than simply the presence or absence of combustible materials, and more to construction risk than just fire. The Playbook is not just for mass timber projects – the principles apply in every project.

The guidance covers construction quality control, record keeping, and building management, which are all central to building safety. It also addresses water damage in construction, a huge issue in insurance.

The steps to a safe and insurable building apply for all construction methods and at all scales.

= What is in the Playbook? =

Simon Corbey, ASBP’s Director, says the Mass Timber Insurance Playbook is a relevant and practical resource, that dovetails into the construction process from early concept through to operation. It encourages early-stage engagement of all parties, as a key element of success in the design and planning processes.

The construction phase was important to include, as there are different risks involved - before fire resisting surfaces have been installed, for example.

The Playbook offers project owners a framework for demonstrating to insurers the way risk is being addressed and mitigated, via transparent and well-thought-out processes. If the insurer can understand these and be satisfied that they are well controlled throughout the design and construction process and on into the building’s use, then they have a lot more of the information they need to assess the risk they are insuring.

The perspectives of the client, designer, architect, insurer, broker, lender, fire service, fire engineer, and building control, can all be different. The Playbook provides a common ground, following the RIBA stages, that can be used for all parties at any stage, as a reference point for what is relevant and required by insurers.

At the core of the document is a series of guidance sheets tying in with the RIBA stages. Annexes address insurability issues and example solutions.

The Playbook follows guidance on protection of buildings (BDM 01) as established by the insurance industry’s joint risk assessment authority RISC.

Road testing at a series of stakeholder engagement events ensured it is representative of best practice from both construction and the insurance and risk sectors.

= Background to the project =

The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) was awarded a grant from the Accelerator Fund from Built by Nature, co-funded by global insurance broker Marsh, and Zurich Resilience Solutions, part of Zurich Insurance Group, to create an industry endorsed guidance and Playbook for developers, investors and designers.

The main authors are Philip Callow and Jim Glockling. Philip is a 20-year veteran of the global construction insurance market, both as a broker and underwriter across the London and Asian regions. Jim is the recent Technical Director of the Fire Protection Association (FPA) and ex-Director of the RISCAuthority with 30 years’ experience, researching, evaluating, certificating and developing tools, standards, product and methods, in support of resilience within the insured commercial and military estates.

The project has been managed by the team at ASBP, led by Director Simon Corbey MSc MRICS, with input from Eurban and Gardiner and Theobald.

The MTIP provides succinct background and context to the insurance market on what is relevant for underwriters and on the responsibilities of developers and contracting parties towards risk identification and mitigation when executing a project. Responding to the UK insurers’ white paper “Insurance Challenges of Massive Timber Construction and a possible way forward” produced by RISCAuthority, the Playbook uses well adopted resilience reasoning embedded within the RIBA framework.

RIBA have acted as peer reviewers and will link to the Playbook post launch. The Playbook has been road tested at four stakeholder engagement events, with comments from a wide range of stakeholders incorporated.

The Playbook will launch at Zurich HQ, London on 4th May at a by invitation only event, hosted by Zurich and ASBP. The Playbook will be available as a free download from the ASBP and Built by Nature websites from 5th May. There is a concluding [https://asbp.org.uk/events/webinar-mass-timber-insurance-playbook-launch online free event] on 25th May at midday, with contributions from the authors and contributors.

Jim Glockling has been invited to give a keynote speech at an insurance-focussed sub-group of the European COST Action – Holistic Design of Tall Timber Buildings (HELEN) on 15th May in Lisbon. The whole team including Robert Innes from Zurich will be speaking at Footprint in Brighton on 6th June, 13.45-14.30.

= Quotes =

Olly Booth, timber specialist and partner at property consultancy Gardiner Theobald, Speaking at a [https://asbp.org.uk/project/mass-timber-insurance-playbook Mass Timber stakeholder workshop]:

“This new guidance is incredibly important. There has been a lack of understanding of how risks are mitigated by design and construction teams, which have been holding back mass timber construction. Mass timber has been on the back foot and insurance is by far the biggest thing making projects stall. There’s a lot of pointers in the Playbook that we should be adopting on all our projects.”

Co-author of the guidance, construction risk expert Jim Glockling:

“Insurance industry concerns are not kneejerk. They are genuine concerns that need addressing. The problem is that stakeholders each speak a very different language, and not all stakeholders are engaged at the right time.”

Playbook co-author Philip Callow of Mass Timber Risk Consulting:

“My research has made it very clear that communication is the key to progress. For the most part trades are doing the right thing, but when communication fails that is almost always where the issues lie. There has absolutely been a disconnect in this area. The cladding crisis exposed the fact that understanding and regulation of fire risks in construction was not fit to be relied upon. This has made insurers wary about buildings with any combustible components. Simply complying with the regulation is not sufficient to give insurers comfort. The playbook is also relevant in other geographies, where we are also seeing huge growth in interest in mass timber construction. In some places such as North America and parts of Nonetheless insurers have the same concerns."

Sarah Newine Moore, architect at Eurban

“Eurban’s approach is to protect the “golden thread” on every project, to ensure the original design intent and all its provisions for safety and performance are preserved. Dame Judith Hackitt articulated the “golden thread” principle in her report on safety in large and complex projects, written in response to the Grenfell disaster. Dame Judith called for meticulous information tracking – a key element in the Playbook framework. The golden thread principle emphasises the need to get people on board on the design team who have the competence to preserve that intent safely through the inevitable revisions in a construction process. It is not only fire that concerns us. An absolutely key thing is to protect the structure form moisture get the building watertight very quickly. This is something we put a great deal of energy and creativity into.”

= About the ASBP =

The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) is a cross sector, not-for-profit, membership organisation, comprising, building product manufacturers and distributors, specifiers, designers, contractors, public interest and sustainability organisations, and other building practitioners.

The ASBP is committed to accelerating the transition to a high performance, healthy and low carbon, built environment by championing the increased understanding and use of building products that meet demonstrably high standards of sustainability.

The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products was launched at an event at the Palace of Westminster in November 2011 and now has over 130 members.

Please see [https://asbp.org.uk/ www.asbp.org.uk] for more information.

= Useful links =

Built by Nature: [https://builtbn.org/ https://builtbn.org]

RISCAuthority Report “Insurance Challenges of Mass Timber Construction” [https://www.thefpa.co.uk/resource-download/401 https://www.thefpa.co.uk/resource-download/401]

Timber Accelerator Hub: Mass Timber – Challenges and Potential Solutions: [https://asbp.org.uk/project/asbp-tah https://asbp.org.uk/project/asbp-tah]

This article is provided by the AECB Press release "New guidance launched to facilitate insurance of mass timber buildings" dated May 4, 2023.

--[[User:ASBP|ASBP]]

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[[Category:Education]] [[Category:Publications_/_reports]] [[Category:Research_/_Innovation]] [[Category:Regulations]] [[Category:Standards_/_measurements]] [[Category:Sustainability]]

File:ASBP mass timber Ins playbook.jpg

2023-05-03T12:34:51Z

ASBP: ASBP_mass_timber_Ins_playbook.jpg https://asbp.org.uk/project/mass-timber-insurance-playbook

ASBP_mass_timber_Ins_playbook.jpg [https://asbp.org.uk/project/mass-timber-insurance-playbook https://asbp.org.uk/project/mass-timber-insurance-playbook]

New guidance launched to facilitate insurance of mass timber buildings

2023-05-03T12:32:30Z

ASBP:

ASBP and partners are releasing new guidance to enable a collaborative approach between construction teams and insurers, opening the door to more equitable insurance for mass timber buildings.

Mass timber has the potential to reduce the embodied impact of construction versus more conventional materials such as concrete and steel. It is strong and light, and as a natural material, has a strong aesthetic appeal. But, especially since the Grenfell disaster, mass timber projects have sometimes faced difficulty securing insurance.

[https://asbp.org.uk/project/mass-timber-insurance-playbook The Mass Timber Insurance Playbook] is a direct response to the challenges developers have faced, providing guidance for all parties involved in arranging insurance - for both development and operation of projects.

The Playbook was written by insurance and building resilience specialists, to help stakeholders in the insurance and construction industries to understand each other’s priorities and language. The aim is to enable constructive communication, to help overcome gaps in understanding that sometimes hold back mass timber construction.

= Lack of confidence in regulations =

The guidance has become particularly necessary after the major loss of confidence in regulation triggered by the cladding crisis.

Beyond the obvious question of whether the regulations actually achieve what they set out to, they are only concerned with occupant escape, and not building protection. There is nothing in regulations about structural integrity, beyond what is needed in terms of rescue time. But structural integrity is also of concern to insurers because the extent of damage will affect the extent of loss. This is addressed in the Playbook.

= Beyond timber, beyond fire: Safety demands quality =

There is more to fire risk than simply the presence or absence of combustible materials, and more to construction risk than just fire. The Playbook is not just for mass timber projects – the principles apply in every project.

The guidance covers construction quality control, record keeping, and building management, which are all central to building safety. It also addresses water damage in construction, a huge issue in insurance.

The steps to a safe and insurable building apply for all construction methods and at all scales.

= What is in the Playbook? =

Simon Corbey, ASBP’s Director, says the Mass Timber Insurance Playbook is a relevant and practical resource, that dovetails into the construction process from early concept through to operation. It encourages early-stage engagement of all parties, as a key element of success in the design and planning processes.

The construction phase was important to include, as there are different risks involved - before fire resisting surfaces have been installed, for example.

The Playbook offers project owners a framework for demonstrating to insurers the way risk is being addressed and mitigated, via transparent and well-thought-out processes. If the insurer can understand these and be satisfied that they are well controlled throughout the design and construction process and on into the building’s use, then they have a lot more of the information they need to assess the risk they are insuring.

The perspectives of the client, designer, architect, insurer, broker, lender, fire service, fire engineer, and building control, can all be different. The Playbook provides a common ground, following the RIBA stages, that can be used for all parties at any stage, as a reference point for what is relevant and required by insurers.

At the core of the document is a series of guidance sheets tying in with the RIBA stages. Annexes address insurability issues and example solutions.

The Playbook follows guidance on protection of buildings (BDM 01) as established by the insurance industry’s joint risk assessment authority RISC.

Road testing at a series of stakeholder engagement events ensured it is representative of best practice from both construction and the insurance and risk sectors.

= Background to the project =

The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) was awarded a grant from the Accelerator Fund from Built by Nature, co-funded by global insurance broker Marsh, and Zurich Resilience Solutions, part of Zurich Insurance Group, to create an industry endorsed guidance and Playbook for developers, investors and designers.

The main authors are Philip Callow and Jim Glockling. Philip is a 20-year veteran of the global construction insurance market, both as a broker and underwriter across the London and Asian regions. Jim is the recent Technical Director of the Fire Protection Association (FPA) and ex-Director of the RISCAuthority with 30 years’ experience, researching, evaluating, certificating and developing tools, standards, product and methods, in support of resilience within the insured commercial and military estates.

The project has been managed by the team at ASBP, led by Director Simon Corbey MSc MRICS, with input from Eurban and Gardiner and Theobald.

The MTIP provides succinct background and context to the insurance market on what is relevant for underwriters and on the responsibilities of developers and contracting parties towards risk identification and mitigation when executing a project. Responding to the UK insurers’ white paper “Insurance Challenges of Massive Timber Construction and a possible way forward” produced by RISCAuthority, the Playbook uses well adopted resilience reasoning embedded within the RIBA framework.

RIBA have acted as peer reviewers and will link to the Playbook post launch. The Playbook has been road tested at four stakeholder engagement events, with comments from a wide range of stakeholders incorporated.

The Playbook will launch at Zurich HQ, London on 4th May at a by invitation only event, hosted by Zurich and ASBP. The Playbook will be available as a free download from the ASBP and Built by Nature websites from 5th May. There is a concluding [https://asbp.org.uk/events/webinar-mass-timber-insurance-playbook-launch online free event] on 25th May at midday, with contributions from the authors and contributors.

Jim Glockling has been invited to give a keynote speech at an insurance-focussed sub-group of the European COST Action – Holistic Design of Tall Timber Buildings (HELEN) on 15th May in Lisbon. The whole team including Robert Innes from Zurich will be speaking at Footprint in Brighton on 6th June, 13.45-14.30.

= Quotes =

Olly Booth, timber specialist and partner at property consultancy Gardiner Theobald, Speaking at a [https://asbp.org.uk/project/mass-timber-insurance-playbook Mass Timber stakeholder workshop]:

“This new guidance is incredibly important. There has been a lack of understanding of how risks are mitigated by design and construction teams, which have been holding back mass timber construction. Mass timber has been on the back foot and insurance is by far the biggest thing making projects stall. There’s a lot of pointers in the Playbook that we should be adopting on all our projects.”

Co-author of the guidance, construction risk expert Jim Glockling:

“Insurance industry concerns are not kneejerk. They are genuine concerns that need addressing. The problem is that stakeholders each speak a very different language, and not all stakeholders are engaged at the right time.”

Playbook co-author Philip Callow of Mass Timber Risk Consulting:

“My research has made it very clear that communication is the key to progress. For the most part trades are doing the right thing, but when communication fails that is almost always where the issues lie. There has absolutely been a disconnect in this area. The cladding crisis exposed the fact that understanding and regulation of fire risks in construction was not fit to be relied upon. This has made insurers wary about buildings with any combustible components. Simply complying with the regulation is not sufficient to give insurers comfort. The playbook is also relevant in other geographies, where we are also seeing huge growth in interest in mass timber construction. In some places such as North America and parts of Nonetheless insurers have the same concerns."

Sarah Newine Moore, architect at Eurban

“Eurban’s approach is to protect the “golden thread” on every project, to ensure the original design intent and all its provisions for safety and performance are preserved. Dame Judith Hackitt articulated the “golden thread” principle in her report on safety in large and complex projects, written in response to the Grenfell disaster. Dame Judith called for meticulous information tracking – a key element in the Playbook framework. The golden thread principle emphasises the need to get people on board on the design team who have the competence to preserve that intent safely through the inevitable revisions in a construction process. It is not only fire that concerns us. An absolutely key thing is to protect the structure form moisture get the building watertight very quickly. This is something we put a great deal of energy and creativity into.”

= About the ASBP =

The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) is a cross sector, not-for-profit, membership organisation, comprising, building product manufacturers and distributors, specifiers, designers, contractors, public interest and sustainability organisations, and other building practitioners.

The ASBP is committed to accelerating the transition to a high performance, healthy and low carbon, built environment by championing the increased understanding and use of building products that meet demonstrably high standards of sustainability.

The Alliance for Sustainable Building Products was launched at an event at the Palace of Westminster in November 2011 and now has over 130 members.

Please see [https://asbp.org.uk/ www.asbp.org.uk] for more information.

= Useful links =

Built by Nature: [https://builtbn.org/ https://builtbn.org]

RISCAuthority Report “Insurance Challenges of Mass Timber Construction” [https://www.thefpa.co.uk/resource-download/401 https://www.thefpa.co.uk/resource-download/401]

Timber Accelerator Hub: Mass Timber – Challenges and Potential Solutions: [https://asbp.org.uk/project/asbp-tah https://asbp.org.uk/project/asbp-tah]

= Further information =

Simon Corbey, Director, ASBP – simon@asbp.org.uk

This article is provided by the AECB Press release "New guidance launched to facilitate insurance of mass timber buildings" dated May 4, 2023.

--[[User:ASBP|ASBP]]

New guidance launched to facilitate insurance of mass timber buildings

2023-05-03T12:31:25Z

ASBP: Created page with "ASBP and partners are releasing new guidance to enable a collaborative approach between construction teams and insurers, opening the door to more equitable insurance for mass tim..."