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The report presents the methodology and findings of an two-year research study funded by Built by Nature.
Led by architecture practice dRMM and conducted in collaboration with Edinburgh Napier University and the Quality of Life Foundation, the research showcases the significant environmental and quality of life benefits of mass timber construction through an innovative analysis methodology.
dRMM and our partners identified a lack of data that demonstrates the full potential of timber’s whole life carbon and quality of life benefits. Without widespread adoption of mass timber in construction it will be very difficult for the built environment to decarbonise quickly enough to avoid irretrievable climate breakdown. So the methodology was developed through an overview of industry best practice, with a goal to assess the quality of life and whole life carbon impacts of five case study projects across different sectors. The case studies are UK exemplars of building for education, infrastructure, worship, residential and commercial uses designed by architecture practices Architype, Fereday Pollard, Marks Barfield Architects, Tikari Works and Waugh Thistleton Architects.
A key takeaway is that mass timber is a readily available solution that can help achieve ambitious embodied carbon targets today, while the quality of life assessment of the case study buildings has revealed them to be healthy places that help people connect with nature.
Each building was subject to detailed life cycle analysis, internal environment monitoring and user consultation over the two-year study to measure the benefits of mass timber through evidence-led research. The broad range of buildings showcase how these benefits might be maximised across sectors to enhance both national and international timber development.
Measuring Mass Timber could be seen as a first step in building an evidence-driven case for timber construction using whole life carbon and wellbeing metrics in combination, supporting DEFRA’s goal of ‘improving data on timber and whole life carbon’.