Berkeley Square, London

Using a Performance-Based-Design approach, tailor made fire design was realised for Berkeley Square. The fire resistance of the CLT floor slabs, the fire protection of the timber elements and steel section was analysed and designed using 3D and 2D Finite Element Modelling. The need of fire resistance testing was reduced by merging results from several tests

London, United Kingdom

The Edge London Bridge

The Edge near the Thames River will be a high rise hybrid building with cross-laminated timber elements at one side. Vertical connections challange the fire design. IGNIS predicted the development of the fire considering the draft caused by the floor openings in the fire situation. Subsequently, IGNIS supported the team developing details based on guidance, fire test and modelling results.

London

Load-bearing capacity of timber connections in fire

Connections were designed for a five level office building made from cross-laminated timber panels and glued laminated timber beams and columns. This was done using thermal finite element analysis. The model used was verified earlier using fire resistance test results. The load-bearing connections were designed to fullfil the R90 requirement.

Melbourne, Australia

Skypark, Luxemburg

BIG | Bjarke Ingels Group Copenhague/Danemark, en partenariat avec metaform/Luxembourg

The “Skypark Business Center” is an about 300m long building mainly built from cross-laminated timber and glulam beams and columns. The user concept includes a shopping mall, a hotel and office spaces. IGNIS provided the performance based fire design considering the visible wood surfaces including a risk assessment comparing the project to a conventional concrete building.

Luxemburg, Luxemburg

House of Natural Resources

ETH Zürich, House of Natural Resources

A concept building representing the innovation capacity was designed for the Laboratory of Hydraulics, Hydrology and Glaciology. The "House of Natural Resources" exhibits various pioneering structural elements such as hard wood elements, pre-tensioned connections and connector-free concrete composite floors.
As no practical experience nor standards are available for the implemented members, the fire resistance was modelled and finally verified by fire testing by the founders of IGNIS.

Zürich, Switzerland

Review for Building Control

Melbourne, Australia

Fire resistance test and technical expertise of concrete connectors

Metal connectors have been tested in a model scale concrete floor slab. Temperature recordings at various positions have been done to determine the load bearing capacity in the fire situation.

Dübendorf, Switzerland

TCC floors in fire

Création Holz AG, Hermann Blumer

Antwerp, Belgium

Fire Safety Concept

A fire safety concept was developed for topping up an existing building in Switzerland. The project included the refurbishment of the existing building to meet current fire safety regulations and the planning of fire safe details and structures of timber and timber-composite members.

Switzerland

Stephanitor Süd, Bremen, Germany

Stephanitor Süd comprises five 6- to 7-storey residential buildings on the banks of the River Weser in Bremen, constructed using a timber frame structure with cross-laminated timber (CLT) walls and floors. IGNIS prepared the fire engineering expert opinion required for the project-specific building approval (vorhabenbezogene Bauartgenehmigung, vBG), developed fire-safe details for joints and connections, and advised on products to achieve the required fire performance of the timber structure.

Bremen, Germany

Buckower Felder, Berlin, Germany

Buckower Felder is a sustainable residential development in Berlin Neukölln comprising 106 apartments across multi-storey timber buildings constructed using cross-laminated timber (CLT). Designed to provide affordable, functional and environmentally friendly housing, the development utilises innovative timber construction within German Building Classes 4 and 5. IGNIS supported the project by preparing the fire engineering expert opinion required for the project-specific building approval (vorhabenbezogene Bauartgenehmigung, vBG), developing fire-safe solutions to achieve 90 minutes fire resistance for the CLT structural elements, and designing joints and connections where standard guidance was not applicable.

Berlin, Germany

Frankenallee 68, Frankfurt, Germany

Frankenallee 68 comprises two apartment buildings constructed using cross-laminated timber (CLT) with a timber façade in the heart of Frankfurt. Completed in 2024, the project became one of the first residential developments in the German state of Hessen to realise a Building Class 5 (GK5) timber structure through a project-specific building approval (vorhabenbezogene Bauartgenehmigung, vBG). IGNIS supported the project by preparing the fire engineering expert opinion required for the project-specific building approval and developing fire-safe detailing for timber joints and connections where standard guidance was not applicable.

Frankfurt, Germany

Frauenklinik (Hospital for Women), Tübingen, Germany

The extension to the Hospital for Women (Frauenklinik) in Tübingen is being constructed using cross-laminated timber (CLT), supporting the State of Baden-Württemberg's ambition to promote sustainable, resource-efficient construction and reduce the environmental impact of public buildings. IGNIS contributed with the project by performing advanced computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations to evaluate the influence of exposed timber surfaces on fire development and by developing fire-safe detailing for timber joints and connections beyond the scope of standard guidance.

Tübingen, Germany

Allgemeine Bauartgenehmigungen (aBG), Germany

IGNIS supported multiple manufacturers active in the German market in obtaining national approvals (Allgemeine Bauartgenehmigung, aBG) for innovative timber construction products, including cross-laminated timber, timber-concrete composite elements and timber frame assemblies. The work involved planning, supervising and evaluating fire resistance tests, as well as developing engineering design methods based on test evidence and advanced fire engineering principles. These methods were incorporated into the technical documentation submitted to the Deutsches Institut für Bautechnik (DIBt) to support the approval of construction products for use across Germany.

Berlin, Germany

Hortus, Basel, Switzerland

Hortus is an award-winning office building designed by Herzog & de Meuron, showcasing circular construction and an innovative wood–clay ceiling system. IGNIS supported the project by developing a bespoke fire testing programme, including full-scale fire testing and Smart Testing, to verify the fire resistance of the ceiling system and demonstrate compliance with REI 60 requirements.

Basel, Switzerland

CheiChei Living, Fumba Town, Zanzibar

CheiChei Living is an award-winning residential development recognised for advancing sustainable and affordable housing in Africa through the innovative use of engineered timber. IGNIS supported the project by providing fire safety consultancy for one of Africa's first cross-laminated timber (CLT) hybrid buildings exceeding two storeys, advising on the fire performance of the timber structure and supporting the safe application of locally sourced and manufactured engineered timber in multi-storey residential construction.

Fumba Town, Zanzibar

Wallworth Town Hall, London, United Kingdom

Walworth Town Hall is the award-winning restoration and transformation of a Grade II listed building, following the devastating fire of 2013, into a vibrant mixed-use community and workspace hub. The project, which incorporates cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glulam structures, received the Architects' Journal Retrofit & Reuse Award in the Adaptive Reuse into Mixed Use category. IGNIS supported the project by developing the fire-safe detailing of timber joints and connections and providing product advice to ensure the timber structure met the required fire performance while respecting the historic fabric of the building

Wallworth, London, United Kingdom

Hertford Theatre, United Kingdom

BEAM Theatre and Pembroke College (Mill Lane Phase 1) were recognised with the RIBA National Award 2026 for their outstanding architectural quality and innovative use of mass timber construction. IGNIS supported the projects by assessing the separation performance of CLT wall elements and butt joints, and by developing fire test evidence and engineering assessments to demonstrate compliance with the required EI fire resistance performance.

Cambridge, United Kingdom

Timber Square, London, United Kingdom

Timber Square is a landmark mass timber office development in central London, designed with an extensive cross-laminated timber (CLT) structure. IGNIS supported the project by developing fire-safe detailing for timber joints and connections, advising on product selection, and carrying out advanced thermal and finite element simulations to verify critical structural details. Engineering assessments, supported by fire test evidence and numerical modelling, demonstrated compliance with the required R90 fire resistance and supported the approval of the timber construction by Building Control.

London, United Kingdom