Built by Nature

As the UK government embarks on a major housebuilding drive, with some proposals to build on parts of the green belt (what one might call "outwards growth") Built by Nature European Network Lead Joe Giddings challenges convention in this article in Architects’ Journal: "Should we really be looking outwards to provide homes? Why not upwards?" A promising solution is Optoppen: building up with timber, the result of a pan-European collaboration of architects, engineers and developers funded by Built by Nature. The launch of the Optoppen platform provides the tools and resources to help cities, architects, and building owners explore and easily understand the potential of ‘topping up’ their existing buildings using lightweight timber, which also creates a carbon sink on top of our cities... Densification and decarbonisation! Joe's article is a great summation of the principles and possibilities: "...we have a unique opportunity to change the way we build; Optoppen offers a path forward that is at once pragmatic and visionary. It is a chance to transform our cities into carbon-storing ecosystems." Read on below for more inspiration! https://lnkd.in/gjNw_asB #decarbonisation #urbandensification #carbonsink #timberconstruction

Built by Nature has funded Optoppen: building up with timber, which has convened a European consortium to develop a knowledge and technical platform around "topping up" to increase the useable space in a building through lightweight roof extensions. This in turn creates a carbon sink on top of cities, contributing to both urban decarbonisation targets and densification strategies. The Optoppen knowledge hub will be launched tomorrow -- register now for the free lunchtime webinar... details below!

Built by Nature is very pleased to announce our arrival and presence in France with a significant grant: €250,000 to support the French government in advancing fire safety research and testing for mass timber construction. This grant will help fund the first half of a comprehensive fire safety programme, conducting critical research to encourage development of multistorey mass timber buildings and responding to questions from the French government about the fire safety of multistorey timber residential buildings. The project is led by CERIB, the centre of excellence in research and innovation in the construction sector, conducted in collaboration with several prominent partners at its Fire Testing Centre. The focus is on both passive and active fire safety protections, combining rigorous research with industry expertise to create a new standard of safety and confidence in timber construction. Our CEO Paul King foresees how the project can generate impacts beyond France and across multiple sectors: “We are confident that the French government will gain valuable insights on the fire behavior of mass timber, enabling the development of evidence-based regulations. We also believe that designers, developers, investors, and insurers will benefit from increased competence and confidence in the safety of timber buildings, encouraging further investment in sustainable construction methods.” #timberconstruction #firesafetyresearch #sustainableconstruction #masstimber

Great news: the Built by Nature-funded Mass Timber Insurance Playbook has gained international traction with the launch of its U.S. edition! Released last year as a practical framework for eliciting, understanding and resolving the risk challenges hindering insurance provision for mass timber buildings -- co-authored by UK insurance and building resilience specialists Philip Callow, CEO of Rosetta Risk Management and Dr. Jim Glockling in partnership with the Alliance for Sustainable Building Products (ASBP) -- the U.S. Edition has been now been adapted by Michael Hastings in collaboration with WoodWorks. This document is tailored for owners, insurers, builders, and project participants in the United States to address those questions associated with mass timber’s risk profile, including fire, water, and structural concerns. Perhaps as importantly, the Playbook serves as an encouraging example of knowledge sharing and knowledge transfer across international boundaries to present collaborative solutions to commonly held challenges to mass timber adoption. Congratulations to all those who participated in its development:   Alliance for Sustainable Building Products Glockling Consulting Marsh Neutral Rosetta Risk Management Zurich Commercial Insurance and supporters International Mass Timber Conference, Arnie Didier, and WOODRISE. You will find the U.S. edition of the Mass Timber Insurance Playbook here in our Built by Nature Knowledge Hub... https://lnkd.in/gbDSGztQ Register now for free access to our comprehensive resource library. #masstimberconstruction #insuranceplaybook #riskmanagement #buildingresilience

We are extremely pleased to share the newly released findings of this significant Built by Nature-funded study and its main message: "Timber Construction Proves Cost-Competitive with Conventional Methods".   Challenging widely held perceptions around the costs associated with timber construction, a comprehensive analysis of 59 residential timber construction projects in the Netherlands shows that timber can effectively compete with conventional building methods on a cost basis. The research study, conducted between 2017 and the end of 2024 by Alba Concepts., IJKX, BOUWscoop and C-creators, analysed projects built with timber frame construction and cross-laminated timber. The study found that single-family homes built with timber frame construction or in combination with cross-laminated timber are already price-competitive with housing built with traditional materials. For multi-family housing, the costs involving timber buildings up to four storeys in height also match those of conventional construction. Peter Fraanje, Netherlands Network Lead for Built by Nature said: “This research proves what the Built by Nature Netherlands Network believes and works towards: building in timber is more and more affordable - and sometimes even less costly than conventional construction methods. It’s one of a number of studies making an increasingly clear case that timber is the best route for sustainable and affordable housing solutions.” The report recommends further European research into timber construction costs and monitoring of prices, especially for CLT, to help neutralise perceptions relating to cost. As importantly, the authors promote opportunities for housing corporations and investors to see timber as playing a larger role in the residential market as costs continue trending downward. More information and full details are in the media announcement here: https://lnkd.in/gZvTTwa8 At the bottom of the release, you'll find a link to both studies via Built by Nature’s new Knowledge Hub. We invite you to have a browse through this, your go-to platform for timber and biobased construction knowledge. Designed to empower and inspire a global community, our hub serves as a dynamic platform for accessing critical knowledge and fostering innovation in sustainable building practices. #timberconstructioncosts #CLT #timberframeconstruction #housing #buildingsustainability #netherlandsresearch

Built by Nature is a proud supporter of this important document, launched last night and released today: the Commercial Timber Guidebook is a collective, collaborative response to questions and concerns associated with the adoption of mass timber as a sustainable construction material. The Guidebook addresses these challenges, providing good practice technical guidance on how mass timber buildings are designed and constructed to cover the critical areas of insurance, moisture, durability and fire safety. Perhaps as importantly, the Guidebook represents the support and involvement of nine major property developers in the UK -- Berkeley Estate Asset Management, British Land, Derwent London, Hines, Landsec, Lendlease, Muse, Related Argent and Stanhope PLC -- with a "collective potential multibillion development pipeline value, along with the appetite for the adoption of mass timber construction." Congratulations to the authors: Elliott Wood, Waugh Thistleton Architects, OFR Consultants and Lignum Risk Partners. Our project allies at Timber Development UK have posted the Guidebook, available for downloading, on their site: https://lnkd.in/evicRkx6 Read the press release announcing the launch of the Guidebook here: https://lnkd.in/giesYGhQ #timberbuildings #masstimber #riskmanagement #biobasedmaterials #insurance #decarbonisation

Livestreaming, direct from COP29 Azerbaijan, Built by Nature CEO Paul King joins guest panelists for "Accelerating the Buildings Breakthrough: Tools and Solutions for Addressing Whole Life Carbon, Circularity, and Shifting to Bio-based Materials" on Tuesday 19 November 2024 | 12:30-14:00 Azerbaijan Time (UTC +4). Presented by the UN Environment Programme and Global Alliance for Buildings and Construction (GlobalABC), the session features the key tools and case studies advancing near-zero emission buildings, and explores how their application and implementation can drive sustainable building practices. As a leading voice for the promotion of sustainably sourced timber and biobased construction materials, Paul will be contributing his insights to two discussions moderated by Nazakat Azimli: "Tools and Recommendations", and "Scaling Circularity". Find below the full event agenda, list of participants, and the link to tune in live. #COP29 #decarbonisation #sustainableconstruction #biobasedmaterials #masstimber

Re-posting this from our allies and grantees at Optoppen: building up with timber, one of the Built by Nature-funded projects featured last week at our Annual Summit #BbN24. We're encouraged by the traction and awareness this UK, Dutch and Spanish project consortium has generated around how vertical extension of our buildings using lightweight mass timber increases useable space and creates a carbon sink on top of cities -- contributing to both urban decarbonisation targets and densification strategies. Kudos to the team for advancing this methodology; read more details about the original grant announcement here: https://lnkd.in/dceX5twh #decarbonisation #urbandensification #BbN24 #masstimber #optoppen

It's an encouraging sign for Built by Nature and the biobased construction movement when a government tender stipulates that a building is to be "made largely of wood". This article reports on how the Dutch Rijksvastgoedbedrijf (National Real Estate Agency) has plans for a twenty-storey office tower in The Hague, to accommodate approximately 735 workplaces within 17,500 m2 of gross floor area and constructed almost entirely from timber from the second to the twentieth floor. The aim of this tender, now open, is to "bring the construction towards Paris-proof construction". (The article is in Dutch, but will translate). #governmenttender #masstimber #timberconstruction

Since the formation of Built by Nature in late 2021, our story has been one of momentum -- momentum reflected in the growth of our network and geographic presence; the engagement of our Frontrunners; a voice and input at regulatory and policy tables, and the deployment of new knowledge and practical solutions to realise our vision of a built environment in unison with nature. The Built by Nature story was celebrated last week at our Annual Summit #BbN24 in Amsterdam, which saw close to 200 built environment visionaries and practitioners come together for an evening of collaboration, recognition of our global Built by Nature Prize winners, exchange of ideas, and inspiration. Thank you to all those who attended, and thank you to our networks and Frontrunners who have contributed to our progress to date. To capture the momentum of Built by Nature and the biobased construction movement, we debuted this short video to remind everyone how far we've come. Turn up the volume, click on the yellow screen -- and please share with those who need to be aware of our work and our vision. #decarbonisation #masstimberconstruction #biobasedmaterials #BbN24 #networks