How Long Can Timber Buildings Last? Strategies for Service Life and Sustainability

[en] Lifecycle assessments (LCA) often estimate the service life of taller timber buildings at 50 years, but how long can they realistically last? More importantly, how can their lifespan be extended? This chapter addresses these questions by exploring strategies to extend service life and methods to predict durability during the planning phase. A survey of over 120 experts in timber construction was conducted to define the actual service life of medium-rise and tall timber buildings. The survey results highlight key measures for extending service life, including material selection, climate-adaptive design, proactive maintenance, and principles of circular construction. These findings serve as the foundation for refining service life prediction models and establishing sustainable design guidelines. This chapter provides actionable insights and expert-driven strategies to ensure the longevity and resilience of taller timber buildings, contributing to their role as a sustainable alternative in the global construction industry.

Disciplines :

Architecture

Author, co-author :

Attia, Shady ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département ArGEnCo > Techniques de construction des bâtiments

Verdier, Tomasso

Van Acker, Joris

Language :

English

Title :

How Long Can Timber Buildings Last? Strategies for Service Life and Sustainability

Publication date :

24 September 2025

Main work title :

Springer Tracts in Civil Engineering

Publisher :

Springer Nature Switzerland

ISBN/EAN :

978-3-03-202098-7
978-3-03-202097-0

Pages :

205

Peer reviewed :

Peer reviewed

Development Goals :

11. Sustainable cities and communities

Additional URL :

https://link.springer.com/content/pdf/10.1007/978-3-032-02098-7_16

Available on ORBi :

since 26 September 2025

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Bibliography

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