Comparative Risk Assessment

Concrete Europe and BIBM – the Federation of the European Precast Concrete Industry – commissioned Augustas Risk Services to carry out a comparative fire risk analysis of combustible and non-combustible structural systems.

The study assesses how these structural systems influence fire development, structural performance, damage, and post-fire repair and reinstatement under realistic scenarios across five building types and different European national contexts.

Using a risk-based approach, the analysis looks beyond standard fire-resistance test durations and considers wider fire consequences, including business interruption, repairability and economic impact.

The findings show that non-combustible reinforced concrete structures do not contribute to the fire load, generally provide more stable conditions for firefighting operations, and often retain sufficient residual capacity to enable localised repairs and faster post-fire reinstatement. By contrast, combustible structural elements may, under severe fire conditions, contribute to fire development, prolong fire duration, increase damage and reconstruction needs, and lead to longer periods of disruption.

Overall, the study shows that fire safety should be assessed through the full consequences of a fire, not only through standard fire-resistance test minutes. Material choices can influence how a fire develops, how far it spreads, whether the structure remains stable, and how quickly a building can be repaired and brought back into use.

Sustainable construction must also be safe construction. Buildings should reduce environmental impact while also protecting people, limiting fire spread, reducing damage and supporting recovery after fire.

Documents

Full Study – Comparative Risk Analysis The complete technical report prepared by Augustas Risk Services, including the scientific comparison, methodology, five case studies and detailed conclusions. 2026_CE_BIBM_Comparative_risk_analysis

Technical Summary – Fire Performance and Post-Fire Resilience of Reinforced Concrete and Timber Structures A concise overview of the main technical findings, comparative case-study results and implications for whole-building fire resilience. CE_BIBM_Comparative_Risk_Analysis_Technical_summary_portrait_final

Press Release – New study examines fire risks of combustible and non-combustible structural systems A short overview of the study, its main findings and the key messages from Concrete Europe and BIBM. 260922_CE_BIBM_Press Release-Comparative Risk Analysis