Fachwerk

TECHNICAL COMMISSION 8 – HALF TIMBER and TIMBER CONSTRUCTION

General

Commission members engage in lively and mindful exchanges with regard to all topics related to the refurbishment of existing historic buildings. Sometimes these interchanges go beyond that and all the way to the introduction and discussion of the latest projects of individual members. In our Codes of Practice we aim to address typical problems and the principles they are based upon. The aim is to present solutions with conclusive justifications to the readers. Given their compact volumes, our Codes of Practice are not intended to be used as substitutes for reference books or courses, but to provide a well-founded overview of certain topics.

To that end, it is important that they are easy to understand and allow for clear and concise conclusions. The currently 14 Codes of Practice summarize numerous aspects that play an important role when it comes to work related to historic half-timber buildings, the gathering of which would otherwise require great effort.

Topics

Technical commission 8 is dedicated to the preservation and structural upgrading of historic half-timber buildings and timber structures. Builders and planners frequently find themselves confronted with conflicting recommendations. To counteract this scenario, WTA expert craftsmen, planners and scientists began developing informative Codes of Practice many years ago.

Given today’s high-speed building technology advancements, gaps in standards and guidelines that do not take the special needs of half-timber buildings into account, arise time and again.

WTA Codes of Practice remedy this problem. They cover subject matters such as fire prevention, sound insulation or heat insulation in half-timber buildings. Other Codes of Practice, e.g. on infill or wood coatings, provide impartial information on available products and the facts to consider.

The technical commission engages in detailed work related to the following topics:

  • Infills, exterior panelling and coating on half-timber walls
  • Load bearing patterns of half-timber buildings
  • Repair planning and implementation checklist
  • User manual for half-timber houses
  • Building physical requirements and issues, e.g. interior insulation or, for buildings located in Germany, the German Energy Saving Ordinance
  • Sound insulation and fire prevention for half-timber buildings and timber components
  •  Structural upgrading of timber ceilings

Contact

Head:
Dr. Ulrich Ruisinger
TU Dresden
Email

Deputy:
Dr. Frank Otto
Ingenieurbüro für Bauphysik 
Dr.-Ing. Frank Otto GmbH
Email

Secretary:
Dipl.-Ing. Ulrich Arnold
Gutachterbüro Arnold
Email

Number of members: 114

Technical Commission Meeting 2024

13. - 15.06.2024 in Speyer

Recommendations

The following recommendations currently published in the technical commission "Half Timber and Timber construction" (in German):

8-1    Edition: 09.2014/D

Restoration of half-timbered buildings according to WTA I – Requirements for half-timbered buildings with respect to building physics

8-2    Edition: 05.2007/D

Restoration of half-timbered buildings according to WTA II – Checklist for planning and execution

8-3    Edition: 05.2022/D

Restoration of half-timbered buildings according to WTA III – Partitions in visible, half-timbered constructions

8-4    Edition: 04.2015/D

Restoration of half-timbered buildings according to WTA IV – Exterior facings

8-5    Edition: 04.2018/D

Restoration of half-timbered buildings according to WTA V – Internal thermal insulation systems

8-6    Edition: 11.2020/D

Restoration of half-timbered buildings according to WTA VI – Coatings on half-timbered facades partitions / plasters on partitions

8-7    Edition: 11.2020/D

Restoration of half-timbered buildings according to WTA VII – Coatings on half-timbered walls / timber

8-8    Edition: 10.2007/D

Restoration of half-timbered buildings according to WTA VIII – Load bearing behaviour of half-timbered buildings

8-9    Edition: 09.2014/D

Restoration of half-timbered buildings according to WTA IX – Instruction for half-timbered buildings

E-8-9 Edition: 03.2022/D Restoration of half-timbered buildings according to WTA IX – Instruction for half-timbered buildings (revised version from March 2022)

8-10  Edition: 12.2020/D

Restoration of half-timbered buildings according to WTA X: Thermal insulation for half-timbered buildings

8-11  Edition: 09.2016/D

Restoration of half-timbered buildings according to WTA XI – Noise control in half-timbered buildings

8-12  Edition: 05.2017/D

Fire protection of half-timbered buildings and wooden components

8-13  Edition: 09.2013/D

Rehabilitation of timber beam floors according to WTA I – Vibrations, Deflections, Strength

8-14  Edition: 09.2014/D  

Rehabilitation of timber beam floors according to WTA II – Beam ends in exterior walls

 

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