Just 10% of English new builds use timber systems, compared to more than 85% in Scotland; however, times are now changing, with more than 30% of the UK’s major builders now owning a timber-framing factory. That is according to David Hopkins, CEO of Timber Development UK, who spoke at a UK Timber Design Conference in London.
“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,” Hopkins told the conference. “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.”
Pointing to Human Nature – the developer behind Phoenix, the UK’s largest timber neighbourhood, Citu – developers of Leeds’s Climate Innovation District – and Greencore Homes – the builders of the net-zero Springfield Meadows in Oxfordshire – Hopkins said timber can be a “transformative tool” in developers’ toolbox. Meanwhile, the community-focused ‘Multiple Storey, Maximum Timber (MultiMax)’ system, developed by WeCanMake and Waugh Thistleton Architects, and the approach of Agile Homes, seek to use infill and commercially unviable sites to kick off a new wave of low-carbon, affordable housing in UK cities.
“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”, Hopkins said. “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 of these timber solutions – with policymakers, insurers, developers, and everyone who wishes to build a better future for themselves and their children.”
- To learn more about the UK government’s plans to scale up timber in construction, including homegrown C16 softwood timbers, as a “fit-for-purpose solution” for engineered wood products, click here for Wood Central’s special feature from March 2025.
