The research grant is a direct response to the UK Government’s 2023 request in its Timber in Construction Roadmap to identify the actions needed to improve understanding of how timber can be safely used in construction.

With delivery partners at the University of Edinburgh Fire Research Centre, and with additional funding from BE-ST’s academic host Edinburgh Napier University, Timber Development UK, Confor and the Structural Timber Association, the project will address key knowledge gaps and present next steps for advancing fire safety research and regulatory policy for mass timber buildings.

BE-ST will input the findings directly to the government’s Timber in Construction policy working group, creating a definitive roadmap of outstanding research and testing around the fire safety of mass timber, to address prevailing concerns held by many stakeholders throughout industry and Government.

“This project is about moving beyond an environment of doubt, concern, and negative perceptions towards a broader scientific understanding of mass timber construction,” according to Joe Giddings, Built by Nature’s European network lead.

“The roadmap will plot a pathway out of the fog of misperception and address that uniquely British conundrum of questioning whether or not it is safe to build using timber whilst simultaneously constructing many buildings using timber.”

The project scope will leverage the University of Edinburgh’s expertise in timber research, along with BE-ST’s industry network, to create the roadmap and mobilise collaboration across industry and government stakeholders. Following an extensive literature review of mass timber fire safety at material, product, and system levels, plus an analysis of existing fire safety research on timber buildings in the UK and internationally, the project will define future research priorities.

The team will also provide recommendations for both immediate policy actions to support the UK government and industry in advancing fire safety for multistorey timber buildings and to secure government commitment to future research and testing. The project’s engagement and dialogue with a comprehensive range of built environment stakeholders will help drive collaborative and informed decision-making, fostering industry alignment and policy coherence necessary to reinforce and advance the case for safe, sustainable multistorey timber construction.