Opportunities, standards and fire safety
Why timber construction is the future, even for large-scale projects
Timber is experiencing a renaissance as a building material, not only in single-family homes, but increasingly in multi-storey residential buildings, office buildings and even high-rise buildings. However, despite impressive reference projects, many builders and planners remain sceptical. Is timber really strong enough? What about fire safety? And can supply chains even meet the growing demand? The answer is: modern timber construction is based on sophisticated technology, clear standards and innovative hybrid solutions, and is not only feasible for large-scale projects, but often the better choice.
CLT and cross-laminated timber: solid wood with concrete qualities
Cross-laminated timber (CLT), also known as cross-laminated timber, is revolutionising timber construction. Cross-laminated boards create large-format, load-bearing elements that behave similarly to reinforced concrete in terms of statics, but with only a fraction of the weight and CO₂ emissions. CLT panels can be up to 40 centimetres thick and can be used as walls, ceilings and roof panels.
The advantages are obvious: high prefabrication, short construction times, precise fit and excellent insulation properties. A six-storey residential building constructed using CLT can be weatherproofed in a few weeks, whereas conventional construction methods would take months.
Hybrid construction: the best of both worlds
Where pure timber constructions reach their limits, for example in high-rise buildings, large spans or high point loads, hybrid timber-steel constructions come into play. Steel columns and beams take on the high-load areas, while ceilings and walls are made of timber. This combination combines the load-bearing capacity of steel with the ecological and structural advantages of timber.
Wood-concrete composite ceilings are also established solutions. Wooden beams with a concrete layer offer high load-bearing capacity, good sound insulation and mass for temperature buffering, with a significantly lower carbon footprint than solid concrete ceilings.
Hybrid construction allows for architectural freedom without compromising on structural integrity or cost-effectiveness. Projects such as the 85-metre-high Mjøstårnet timber skyscraper in Norway and the HoHo Vienna impressively demonstrate what is possible.
Statics and load-bearing capacity: civil engineering at the highest level
Modern timber statics are based on precise calculation methods and decades of research. Eurocode 5 defines clear design rules for timber structures that are just as verifiable and safe as steel or concrete structures. Finite element analyses and digital design tools enable complex structural simulations to be carried out as early as the planning phase.
CLT elements achieve load-bearing capacities that are hardly inferior to reinforced concrete, with a dead weight that is often 80 per cent lower. This reduces foundation loads, simplifies foundations and enables additions to existing buildings that would not be structurally viable with conventional building materials.
3XPERTS has comprehensive expertise in timber structural engineering and designs hybrid structures that optimally combine safety, cost-effectiveness and sustainability.
Fire protection: Wood burns – but predictably
Fire protection is the biggest concern for many builders. However, modern timber structures meet even the most stringent fire protection requirements thanks to encapsulating cladding, dimensioned burn rates and intelligent detailed solutions.
Solid wood has a predictable burn rate of approximately 0.7 mm per minute. Engineers dimension components so that they still have sufficient cross-section for load transfer even after 60 or 90 minutes of exposure to fire. In addition, multi-layer plasterboard, fire protection cladding or fire-resistant coatings protect the wooden surfaces.
In hybrid constructions, steel supports provide additional safety in areas critical to fire protection. Intelligent compartmentalisation, sprinkler systems and smoke detection systems complement the protection concept.
Importantly, wood does not suddenly lose its load-bearing capacity in the event of a fire, unlike unprotected steel; it forms a protective layer of charcoal that slows down the fire behaviour. Numerous fire tests and real-life fire scenarios confirm the safety of timber buildings constructed in accordance with standards.
Standards and approvals: Legal certainty for large-scale projects
Timber construction is not a field of experimentation, but is fully regulated by standards:
- Eurocode 5: Design of timber structures
- DIN 4102 / EN 13501: Fire protection classification
- Model Building Code (MBO): Building classes and requirements
- Model Timber Construction Guideline: Specific regulations for multi-storey timber construction
Test certificates, general building authority approvals (abZ) and individual case approvals are available for special constructions. Experienced specialist planners such as 3XPERTS are familiar with the normative requirements and ensure legally compliant, approvable planning.
Supply chains and availability: regionality as an advantage
European coniferous forests offer sufficient wood for sustainable timber construction, provided that it is managed responsibly. Certifications such as FSC and PEFC guarantee sustainable forestry. In contrast to global steel and cement markets, timber construction benefits from regional supply chains with short transport routes.
Prefabrication in highly automated timber construction companies ensures consistent quality, precise dimensional accuracy and short delivery times. Bottlenecks are usually not caused by a lack of materials, but by limited production capacities at CLT manufacturers, a problem that can be solved through early planning and capacity reservation.
Ecological and economic advantages
Wood stores CO₂ over the long term and causes only a fraction of the emissions of concrete or steel during production. A five-storey residential building constructed using timber saves several hundred tonnes of CO₂ compared to conventional construction methods.
In economic terms, timber construction scores points for its short construction times, lower foundation costs due to lightweight structures and excellent insulation values that reduce heating and cooling costs. With rising CO₂ prices and stricter ESG requirements, these advantages are also becoming increasingly measurable in financial terms.
Advantages at a glance
- Static load-bearing capacity comparable to reinforced concrete with lower dead weight
- Fire protection through standard-compliant design, cladding and hybrid solutions
- Short construction times due to high degree of prefabrication
- CO₂ savings through renewable raw materials and regional supply chains
- Architectural diversity through combination with steel, concrete and glass
- Legal certainty through comprehensive normative regulation
3XPERTS and B3YOND-IT: Timber construction expertise for ambitious projects
As an experienced architecture and engineering firm, 3XPERTS designs timber and hybrid structures for builders who want to combine sustainability and cost-effectiveness. From structural analysis and fire protection concepts to detailed planning and tendering, we provide comprehensive support for timber construction projects and ensure that solutions are approvable, compliant with standards and economical.
Together with B3YOND-IT, we rely on BIM-supported timber construction planning, digital manufacturing data for CNC joinery and cloud-based collaboration platforms for coordination with timber construction companies. This results in timber construction projects that are not only ecologically convincing, but also realised on time, economically and to the highest quality standards, from single-family homes to multi-storey timber hybrid buildings.
Would you like to explore the possibilities of timber and hybrid construction for your project?
Contact us at info@3xperts.com or via our digital contact form and discover how we can successfully shape your projects and your leadership role together.