UK ban on combustible materials on new high-rise homes will slow down the use of CLT

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gov.uk/Fordaq
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The UK government is banning combustible materials on new high-rise homesrevealing that it will limit the use of cross-laminated timber in construction, states the country's Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government in its press release published on the UK government official website. 

Regulations have been laid in Parliament on November 29, 2018 which will give legal effect to the combustible materials ban announced in the summer. The ban means combustible materials will not be permitted on the external walls of new buildings over 18 metres containing flats, as well as new hospitals, residential care premises, dormitories in boarding schools and student accommodation over 18 metres.

Schools over 18 metres which are built as part of the government’s centrally delivered build programmes will also not use combustible materials, in line with the terms of the ban, in the external wall.

Moreover, the detailed report of the UK Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government under the title "Impact Assessment: Ban on combustible materials in external wall systems" states that "there is a growing number of buildings above 18m in height using engineered timber as part of their structure. Engineered timber offers an alternative to traditional methods of construction in buildings within the scope of the policy. It is therefore likely to slow down the use of engineered timber in future development in the medium to long term".

Engineered timber includes cross-laminated timber (CLT). 

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