Last week, the first partner lunch of the year took place, hosted by the Covenant for Timber Construction at De Uilenburgersjoel in Amsterdam. This edition included a special welcome to new partners Plegt-Vos and Barentsz Ontdekkingshuizen!
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What was the programm & theme?
After an introduction by Jan-Bert Vroege, in which he emphasised the urgency of scaling up timber construction, Jeroen van der Waal, Bas Horsting, and Peter Kroon (all from the Municipality of Amsterdam) shared the city's ambitions to further embed timber construction in future developments.
The municipality has developed a Timber Construction Work Plan, integrating timber more thoroughly into its development strategies and policy frameworks. In addition, a timber opportunity map has been created, identifying suitable locations for timber construction within Amsterdam.
The topic of fire safety was also on the agenda. Jurrian Knijtijzer (Finch Buildings) presented the draft version of NTA 6125:2025, a new standard for fire safety in timber construction. Ron Galesloot supported the presentation and offered insights from the Amsterdam-Amstelland Fire Department.
Fire safety is of course a crucial topic when it comes to timber construction. Due to the different properties of wood compared to conventional materials, fires behave differently—they can burn longer and produce higher flames. As a result, additional measures are often implemented alongside the Building Works Environment Decree to ensure safety.
The new NTA aims to standardise these additional fire safety measures. However, overly strict fire safety requirements may hinder the feasibility and scalability of timber construction in the real estate sector.
The draft version of the NTA is now open for feedback from stakeholders, with the consultation period running until 16 April 2025.
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