Timber construction has moved beyond early adopters and pilot projects. The next hurdle is capacity – not only in factories and forests, but in people. Design teams need deeper timber literacy, site teams need confidence with engineered systems, and clients want assurance that performance and buildability are understood from day one. Put simply, scaling timber means scaling capability.
NMITE’s Centre for Advanced Timber Technology (CATT) has been set up to address that skills gap through training, applied research and industry collaboration. Based at NMITE’s Skylon campus in Hereford, the centre positions itself as supporting a more sustainable and resilient built environment, and as a practical bridge between education and industry.
The scale of the workforce challenge is not disputed. CATT points to Construction Industry Training Board estimates suggesting the construction sector will need over a quarter of a million new workers by 2027. At the same time, net zero targets and wider sustainability goals are pushing construction towards more sustainable materials, methods and technologies, including biogenic offsite manufactured systems with an emphasis on timber. CATT’s premise is that innovation will only land if the skills pipeline keeps pace.
Three strands, one purpose
CATT describes its offer in three strands: research and knowledge transfer with industry partners; professional courses and degrees in the sustainable built environment; and a role in setting the skills agenda for timber in construction.
It also argues that construction needs to become more collaborative and interdisciplinary. Timber’s advantages are well understood, but its successful deployment depends on teams that understand detailing, interfaces, moisture management and sequencing – and can apply that knowledge consistently across projects, from early design through to handover.
Research with a supply-chain lens
CATT’s research programme is framed around improving the carbon footprint of UK construction, but it also leans into supply chain thinking, describing a seed-to-building approach that links forestry, product development and construction delivery.
Two Forestry Commission England projects are highlighted. Building from England’s Woodlands is described as a three-year £300k project designed to boost the use of English hardwood forest products across the built environment, improving the carbon footprint of buildings while supporting diverse woodland ecosystems. Commercialisation of Woodfibre Insulation is described as a two-year £200k project designed to demonstrate the commercial viability and opportunity of the UK’s first homegrown woodfibre insulation manufacturing facility.
Partners listed include Edinburgh Napier University, dRMM Architects, Ecosystems Technologies and BE-ST. Taken together, the work reflects a growing focus on domestic resource utilisation, product development and the practical skills required to specify and scale bio-based solutions effectively – linking forest resource, product performance and buildability.
Training for modern timber delivery
On the training side, NMITE says CATT is expanding its skills and training provision, supported by collaborative partnerships and an expanding portfolio of research projects with academic credibility and sector impact.
Its Timber Technology Engineering and Design (Timber TED) short courses are pitched as a route to upskill and reskill for modern methods of timber construction, delivered from the Skylon campus. NMITE says Timber TED learning is endorsed by the CIOB, CIAT and Timber Development UK, and that the course bundles have been credited with an Accelerate to Zero Green Skills Award.
Beyond short courses, NMITE highlights a BSc (Hons) Construction Management programme, described as helping learners utilise timber in built environment designs with an understanding of materials, sustainability and context. For retrofit, it promotes its Enhanced Retrofit Fabric Improvement Training (ERFIT) course, a three-day, industry-endorsed programme focused on insulation and fabric improvements.
From theory to practice: CATT within the Skylon campus
CATT operates within NMITE’s wider Skylon campus in Hereford, and the relationship between the two is deliberate. Skylon is not simply a teaching facility, but a working demonstration of the principles that underpin NMITE’s approach to sustainable construction – and, by extension, CATT’s work on timber skills and capability.
NMITE describes Skylon as one of the most advanced collaborative workspaces in the UK, designed and delivered as a timber-led, low-carbon building. For CATT, the campus provides more than a backdrop. It functions as a live learning environment where research, teaching and real-world performance intersect.
The building has been conceived as a living lab, with sensor and monitoring technology embedded into the structure and fabric. NMITE says moisture sensors have been used to track the drying process following construction, while further monitoring supports the assessment of structural and material performance, user experience and occupancy, and energy efficiency and use.
NMITE also states that Skylon stores 330,000 kg of CO2e, and notes external recognition for the project, including a Constructing Excellence Social Value Award in 2023. For CATT, Skylon anchors its work in something tangible, generating evidence and experience that can feed back into teaching, guidance and best practice.
Building confidence, not just awareness
CATT positions its team as a blend of industry and academic expertise, citing outputs published in the TRADA Timber Yearbook and presentations at events including the SEFI Annual Conference and the World Conference on Timber Engineering.
For the timber supply chain, the point is straightforward. Timber’s next phase is less about proving it can work and more about delivering predictable outcomes repeatedly, at scale, across multiple project teams. That requires a bigger pool of people who understand timber, trust it and can deliver it properly. CATT is positioning itself as one of the places building that capability.
