TIMBERHAUS: Transforming the European construction industry with innovative wood products
How sustainable wood construction will help the EU Built Environment reach its climate targets
TIMBERHAUS brings together a diverse European consortium to drive down the industry’s environmental impact. By advancing wood construction methods, creating AI-enabled circular resource flow, mapping the value chain to quantify the sustainable supply of timber, and prototyping sustainable designs, TIMBERHAUS will increase sustainable wood construction practices and designs across various communities, stakeholders, and regions in Europe.
- Funder: EU Commission
- Coordinator: Danish Technological Institute
- Partners: Bauhaus Earth, Built by Nature, City of Baia Mare, City of Berlin, Climate-KIC, Demos Research Institute, Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule Zürich, EMPA, Fondazione Icons, Grupo Gámiz, Junckers Industrier A/S, PFEIFER Group, TEGEL Projekt GMBH, University of Copenhagen, Urbasofia, Waugh Thistleton Architects
- Date: 2024 -2028
The largest industrial contributor to climate change in Europe
The construction sector urgently needs sustainable alternatives. Its reliance on carbon-intensive materials like steel and concrete, along with the limited use of sustainable wood species, drives 40% of Europe’s carbon emissions, 50% of material extraction, and 35% of waste creation.
Although wood is a promising substitute due to its carbon-storing properties, current wood processing technologies and supply chains are not yet equipped to handle a diverse range of wood types, including hardwood and recycled wood. Additionally, ensuring the sustainability of the timber supply is essential in a changing climate that impacts the health of our forests.
From analysis to implementation: pioneering sustainable wood solutions in construction
TIMBERHAUS will leverage digital tools to process hardwoods and post-consumer wood, making wood construction materials more diverse and accessible. These novel products will be integrated into flexible building blueprints focused on circularity, health, and well-being, honoring local cultural design traditions.
Working with Berlin, Baia Mare, and Siena, the project will implement pilot initiatives to demonstrate these blueprints, showcase the potential of multi-story wood buildings, and test local adaptation. From this experience, the project will develop best-practice guidelines, track market trends, and deliver policy tools for broader adoption.
Key to the project, Metabolic Institute will map the flows of timber from the forest till they reach European buildings – assessing the sustainability of the supply of wood in a changing environment. We will explore how the future demand for timber across the construction industry is likely to shape European forests. We will quantify the carbon benefits of an increased share of timber products in the EU built environment, via novel science-based methodologies that take a systemic approach – from the forest floor to the end-of-life of the buildings – to understand better how it can support the EU construction sector in reaching its climate targets.
Working toward a sustainable, circular, and resilient construction sector
Delivering practical outcomes—from pioneering carbon accounting methods to advanced supply models—TIMBERHAUS will help cities and regions evaluate local wood resources for sustainable use and tap into underutilized wood stocks, such as hardwood tree species and post-consumer wood waste.
We will establish the “European Wood Observatory” to offer an open-access platform that consolidates insights, standards, and best practices, making it easier for stakeholders to adopt and promote sustainable wood use.
Additionally, policy toolkits will guide EU and local governments in embedding climate-smart wood practices into regulatory frameworks, supporting both climate goals and the cultural objectives of the New European Bauhaus initiative.
These outcomes position wood as a renewable, core material in Europe’s construction sector, demonstrating scalable, eco-efficient models to reshape the industry.
- TIMBERHAUS’ website is coming soon! Stay tuned.
