Built environment leaders presented a clear message – ‘timber can meet climate and housing goals now’ – during the recent UK Timber Design Conference in London.
Sustainable developers, architects, engineers, and construction professionals are urging the Government to accelerate its housing ambitions by endorsing timber as a construction material – fully recognising it as a scalable, low-carbon solution that has already attracted significant private investment and has the current capacity to deliver more housing today.
With the Government outlining bold plans to increase affordable housing, unlock land, sequester carbon, and simplify planning processes, Timber Development UK (TDUK) asserts that now is the time to align these initiatives with the Timber in Construction Roadmap and fully adopt timber as a core part of building strategies.
“Timber is already reshaping the UK built environment as a supply chain able to deliver on our housing and climate targets in construction, but we are yet to fully unlock this opportunity,” said David Hopkins, chief executive, Timber Development UK. “Right now, timber systems are used in only around 10% of new builds in England, as compared to 85% in Scotland.”
“The science is established – timber homes are much lower-carbon than their masonry equivalents, offsite timber construction is much more efficient and resilient to the skills gap, and the timber approach is safe, cost-competitive, and sustainable while driving investment back into forest growth and development.
“The construction industry is increasingly embracing the use of timber systems – with more than 30% of the major house builders now owning a timber frame factory – but we can achieve so much more. The positive messaging and enthusiasm at the conference shows we are at a real inflection point for the use of timber in the UK.”
Award-winning SME developers including Human Nature (leading the eco-regeneration of the Phoenix industrial site in Lewes), Citu (creators of Leeds’ Climate Innovation District), and Greencore Homes (responsible for zero-carbon Springfield Meadows in Oxfordshire) showcased timber as a transformative material in their mission to deliver places that benefit both people and the planet.
At the same time, innovative approaches like the community-focused ‘Multiple Storey, Maximum Timber (MultiMax)’ system developed by WeCanMake and Waugh Thistleton Architects, as well as Agile Homes’ strategy, aim to unlock infill and otherwise overlooked urban sites to spark a new era of low-carbon, affordable housing across cities.
The conference also featured discussions on retrofit opportunities and “upward extension” strategies, highlighting ‘timber on top’ solutions in an Optoppen panel led by Whitby Wood, manufacturing innovations from Deeside Timberframe, and the policy levers available to Government to accelerate building efforts.
“Increasing the use of timber in construction is a triple win for Government and industry – acting as a form of carbon capture and storage, helping to grow our forests, and creating better homes for people and planet. We are pleased to see a growing movement pushing for the use of timber in construction – we know there is so much potential we can achieve today,” said David.
“If we are to take on the housing and climate crises, it is more important now than ever that we see a widespread embrace and ramp-up these timber solutions – with policy makers, insurers, developers, and everyone who wishes to build a better future for themselves and their children.”
