What is the current state of play of timber in construction? 
How is the industry developing in different parts of the world? 
How much timber is available for construction?
What is the impact of transporting it?
What are the opportunities for a UK-based industry?
Is it really a silver bullet to decarbonsie building?
What developments and trends are on the horizon?

Mass timber structure is being used for larger and more ambitious commercial buildings than ever before.

In this session we ask what has changed to enable the use of timber in these buildings and chart a possible trajectory for the growth of timber as a carbon-negative structural material in the commercial sector.

The Mass Timber Insurance Playbook has been written with input from all disciplines involved in the development of timber buildings.

Aligned with RIBA stages the playbook sets out what should be considered by designers, developers, fabricators and insurance intermediaries to communicate clearly with the insurance industry at every stage in the design and procurement process.

Mass timber in combination with sustainably managed forests is an important solution for addressing embodied carbon in the built environment as well as improving sequestration rates in forests. The Timber Finance Initiative will present their carbon credit concept for quantifying and monetising the value construction stored carbon in a removal certificate. Mass timber carbon removal certificates can create an important incentive to choose bio-based building materials over conventional carbon intensive materials as well incentive climate smart forestry management practices.

Developers seeking to adopt timber on increasingly large and complex schemes are joining forces with architects devising inventive methods of biobased construction. This Breakfast Briefing will spotlight projects by three Built by Nature Frontrunners, using timber and biobased materials for low-carbon health, housing and commercial development.

Built by Nature is a network and grant fund with a mission for our built environment to work in closer unity with nature through the increased use of timber and biobased materials. Our frontrunner network brings together organisations that are leading the way, adopting these low-carbon materials on developments and collaborating to create an unstoppable movement that is transforming the way that buildings are constructed.

Anna-Lisa McSweeney from White Arkitekter will speak about the practice’s proposed design for the Velindre Cancer Centre in Cardiff, which aims to be the UK’s “most sustainable hospital” when completed. Turning to commercial buildings, Alexia Laird will present Landsec’s Timber Square in Southwark, central London; a 14-storey partial retrofit and vertical extension that looks set to create a new precedent for urban commercial development in the UK. Kelly Harrison from Whitby Wood will show us how we can build on top of our cities with timber, retrofitting existing buildings and vertically extending them, creating additional floor space and storing carbon on top of our existing built environment.

Finally, Andy Tugby from Human Nature will talk about the developer’s plans for the Phoenix industrial estate in Lewes, where they have employed a phalanx of the UK’s most renowned architects to transform this brownfield site into the country’s largest timber residential development, a car-free mixed-use utopia set against the backdrop of the South Downs National Park.  

The state of Arkansas is 58% covered in forest and possesses a timber economy of demonstrable national value. It is also growing two trees for each one that is harvested. The University of Arkansas has steadily built a value-added timber and wood products approach to both its design education and campus architectural commissions, invigorating the “forest economy “ of the state and the “low-carbon” dimension of the design programs. Aided by a parallel commitment and investment from its regional neighbour, Walmart, the University of Arkansas is now a national leader in low-carbon design education and campus design and construction.

We’ll hear from the Arkansas team embracing low-carbon design education and timber construction technology and harnessing it within the built assets of the campus, saving the University of Arkansas money and delivering on the administration’s commitment to sustainable design. Through three successive projects, growing in value and complexity, the team will show how timber design and construction was adopted as their go-to architectural material. The 2023 AR Future Projects overall winner, the Anthony Timberlands Center for Design and Materials Innovation, designed by Grafton Architects for the Fay Jones School, is the prominent, emblematic example of the University’s commitment to the “forest to campus” initiative.

What role can public sector policy play in supporting the use of timber and bio-based materials in the construction industry?

We look at the impact of municipal policy in Amsterdam, Paris and Sweden and the development of building codes that support the use of timber in the urban context.

Timber construction is used for more than 25% of all housing in the UK, largely using MMC resulting in an increase in build quality, speed of erection and less wastage of materials, driving down both embodied energy and energy bills for tenants long term. 

Timber housing is procured by housing associations, housebuilders and local authorities. This session provides a roundup of new and exciting products and projects embracing all aspects of the efficiency and reduction in carbon these buildings achieve.

The New Model Building is a set of design principles developed by architects, fire engineers and structural engineers for widespread use intended to set out a standard which will become fully accepted in the UK. 

The methodology explains how engineered timber can be used to construct multi-family multi-storey housing, complying with UK Building Regulations and with prior approval from insurers and accreditation schemes.

Medium-scale buildings offer the best opportunity to gain from the multiple benefits of building in mass timber. Paradise is a 63,000 sqft new build that delivers a building that is low-carbon both in construction and operation. Come and hear from the team how the building was conceived and designed, and hear detailed advice on:

• the carbon savings achievable
• managing the risks associated with fire and fire testing
• the process of insuring during construction and permanently

Deep retrofit of commercial buildings often aims to increase useable floor area whilst maintain the existing structure. Timber is a lightweight structural material whose additional load can frequently be added to existing buildings without the need to upgrade existing structure especially the foundations. Key protagonists of such projects give an introduction to what you need to know drawing from their wide experience.

CircuLaw is an open public service that aims to accelerate the circular economy transition by enabling policymakers to better use existing laws and regulations.
A key objective is to overcome regulatory silos and meet demand from cities struggling to reach ambitious environmental goals due to construction policy complexities. In this session you will hear how the platform will leverage legislative and regulatory systems to promote the adoption of mass timber in urban development.

The project is a collaboration between Dark Matter Labs & the City of Amsterdam, supported with funding from Built by Nature.

Evidence is mounting that green buildings command a premium in the commercial market. Developers and funding partners recognise that the creation of high-quality, sustainable assets is likely to deliver better returns in the long run.

We hear from developers and agents how timber buildings can be a significant part of this picture.

The Forestry Commission are funding research into the suitability and viability of English native species such as oak, beech, sweet chestnut, birch, sycamore, ash, alder, and willow for structural timber systems. Scalable solutions will be developed, and tested for their suitability for MMC use (eg cross-laminated timber and glue-laminated timber, wood fibre insulation). Strength grading of each species will make it easier to mass produce timber products for modern methods of construction.  

By manufacturing viable and scalable homegrown timber alternatives to carbon-intensive materials, we are aiming to reduce the UK’s reliance on imported products. Widening the range of species that provide a domestic wood supply could also provide a boost for localised manufacturing facilities and supply chains

Post-occupancy studies show a tangible connection between the use of natural materials and health outcomes. Employing timber in healthcare buildings gives us an opportunity to use a natural sustainable material to promote health & well-being.