Wooden buildings in the Czech Republic will grow in height. From the middle of this year, the permitted height of wooden buildings in the Czech Republic is to be increased. From the current 12 metres to 18 metres – and in the case of hybrid buildings up to 22 metres. The new limit may contribute significantly to the development of multi-storey wooden buildings in the Czech Republic.
Czech legislation is strict in relation to wooden buildings. So far, it is possible to build buildings with wooden structures with a maximum fire height of 12 metres, which corresponds to four storeys. Since last year, it has been possible to build higher with timber, but only using a fire-engineering approach, which makes the whole project preparation process considerably more complicated and expensive.
Therefore, in recent years, there have been increasing calls for a change in the height limit for wooden buildings, especially from private investors. It is true that, especially in large cities and on expensive land, it is not worthwhile for developers to build only four-storey buildings. Moreover, the 4-storey limit is quite outdated in the context of developed countries, which is most eloquently demonstrated by practice – in European countries such as Austria, Germany, Switzerland and France, urban buildings with 6-8 storeys are commonly built of wood. And high-rise hybrid timber buildings with 20 or more storeys are no longer an exception.
Scheme of new height limits for wooden buildings in the Czech Republic. Photo: UCEEB
To change the Czech state standards for the permitting of taller wooden buildings is the aim of the analysis task (specifically the annex “K” of the standard ČSN 73 0802), whose main researcher is Petr Kuklík, an expert in wooden structures from the UCEEB ČVUT. The new normative conditions for fire safety of wooden buildings are to increase the fire height limit to 18 metres. This means that buildings with a structure made entirely of wood will be allowed to be built up to 18 metres (up to 8 storeys) as part of the normal construction procedure.
The Annex also sets a new limit for hybrid wooden buildings – 22.5 metres. In this case, however, it is necessary that at least the first two floors are made of non-combustible material, or more precisely, the height of the combustible (wooden) part may not exceed 15 metres.
The changes are expected to take effect from mid-2025. The proposal is currently undergoing a comment procedure and is expected to be approved by the end of June. The new heights will apply to buildings for housing, accommodation, administration and education (including pre-school care).
