[New Book] Holistic Design of Taller Timber Buildings

One of the most comprehensive references ever published on tall timber buildings is now available as an open-access book:

📖 Holistic Design of Taller Timber Buildings https://lnkd.in/ehVHk5a5

This publication is not simply another edited volume. It is the final scientific outcome of COST Action HELEN (CA20139), a four-year European research network involving more than 400 experts from over 40 countries, dedicated to one question:

How can we safely, sustainably, and economically design the next generation of tall timber buildings?

Why is this important? The construction sector is under growing pressure to reduce carbon emissions, resource consumption, and environmental impacts. Engineered timber has emerged as one of the most promising materials for decarbonizing the built environment. Yet designing tall timber buildings remains significantly more complex than designing conventional concrete or steel structures.

What makes this book unique is its holistic approach. Instead of treating fire safety, structural engineering, durability, acoustics, life cycle assessment, circularity, vibration, resilience, and occupant performance as separate disciplines, the book demonstrates how they interact and sometimes conflict in real projects. This systems-thinking perspective is exactly what the industry needs as timber buildings continue to grow taller and more ambitious.

🔬 Some of the cutting-edge topics covered include:

• Multi-storey and high-rise mass timber design • Structural robustness and progressive collapse resistance • Seismic, wind, fire, and multi-hazard design frameworks • Moisture management and long-term durability • Structural health monitoring and digital assessment tools • Whole-life carbon and life cycle assessment • Repairability, adaptability, and design for disassembly • Circular economy strategies and timber reuse • Digital product passports for future material recovery • Sustainability pathways for net-zero and climate-neutral construction

I am particularly pleased to have with my team contributed three chapters on: 🌍 Life-cycle impact assessment of tall timber buildings 🏗️ Service life, durability, and sustainability strategies ♻️ Disassembly and reuse in tall timber buildings

The message emerging from HELEN is clear: Tall timber buildings are no longer an experimental niche. They are becoming a central component of the low-carbon transition of the construction sector.

But success will require moving beyond siloed engineering toward integrated, interdisciplinary design. That is the true contribution of COST Action HELEN and the reason this publication will likely become a key reference for researchers, practitioners, policymakers, and graduate students working on sustainable construction for years to come.

Congratulations to editors Gerhard Fink, Robert Jockwer, and José Manuel Cabrero, the Working Group leaders Mislav Stepinac, and the hundreds of researchers who contributed to this remarkable collective effort.

📚 Open Access Book: https://lnkd.in/ehVHk5a5

📚 Learn more about the COST Action HELEN (CA20139) https://www.cost.eu/actions/CA20139/

📚 Learn more about our research https://www.sbd.uliege.be/

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