Pablo van der Lugt
THE TIMBER TRUTH
PEFC EDITION
BUSTING THE MYTHS ABOUT THE REAL POTENTIAL OF TIMBER
BUILDINGS
PEFC EDITION
THE TIMBER TRUTH
CARING FOR OUR FORESTS LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY
BE PART OF THE SOLUTION: CONNECT YOUR DESIGN WITH NATURE
For centuries, designers have drawn inspiration from nature, with forests standing as one of our most vital resources. Research shows that living and working in timber buildings supports our wellbeing – and choosing sustainable timber helps protect both our health and the planet we rely on.
Architecture requires a combination of creative thinking and in-depth knowledge of materials and products, while construction hinges on strict adherence to building regulations and health and safety protocols. In this context, certified timber and timber products play a vital role, as they must meet stringent public and private procurement policies as well as global green building rating tools, empowering architects and designers to fulfill expectations of clients around the globe.
Specifying certified, sustainable timber is an important first step towards creating healthier, more sustainable living or working spaces – whether in small homes or towering buildings. Certified timber plays a key role in fighting climate change by boosting CO2 absorption, preventing deforestation and protecting biodiversity, ecosystems and livelihoods.
These issues are all vital to our collective future.
In this chapter, PEFC shares its expertise on the use of certified timber and timber products sourced from sustainably managed forests. It also highlights the positive impact these materials have on our planet and our daily lives.
“Growing trees to use for timber construction not only absorbs carbon dioxide, but all kinds of other particulate pollution. Also, trees produce oxygen while they are growing. If we plant three trees for every one that is harvested, and live with trees as well as building with them, we have a healthier environment.”
Professor Alex de Rijke, architect, educationalist and founder of architectural firm dRMM
PEFC: YOUR ASSURANCE
PEFC1 is the world’s largest certification system for Sustainable Forest Management and Chain of Custody for forest- and tree-based products. Worldwide, 75% of all certified forests are PEFCcertified, representing one million forest owners who manage their forests in line with PEFC requirements and criteria. Certification standards are developed through inclusive multi-stakeholder processes with support from NGOs, associations, companies and individuals; all working together to promote sustainable forest management globally. These stakeholders2 meet regularly to ensure that the standards remain effective and up to date. PEFC provides internationally recognized assurances of responsible forest management and the verified origin of wood products.
PEFC’S MISSION
To give the public assurance that PEFC-certified timber comes from sustainably managed forests. This, in turn, ensures that forests are protected, so they can be enjoyed now and for generations to come.
“Timber is nature’s authentic building material: it stores carbon, it breathes and it has multiple health benefits.”
“Wood is universally beautiful to man. It is the most humanly intimate of all materials.”
Frank Lloyd Wright, American architect3
WHY WORK WITH WOOD?
Wood is a valuable natural material strong enough to be used in the construction of entire buildings. Wood can be sourced from many different tree species, each with its own unique grain, color and pattern. These distinctive qualities can enhance and highlight architectural design. Despite its relatively light weight, wood is remarkably strong, and is easy to work with, finish, maintain, and repair.
Wood insulates far more efficiently than concrete, steel or aluminum. As a result, buildings made from wood are more energy-efficient, requiring less energy for heating and cooling.
Life Cycle Assessments (LCAs) consistently show that wood outperforms other materials in terms of embodied energy, air and water pollution, and carbon footprint.
When used correctly, wood is also a fire-safe building material. Thanks to its low thermal conductivity and the way its surface chars, wood can even be designed with fire-retardant properties. As our society strives to achieve a circular economy, wood stands out as the easiest material to reuse or repurpose.
Finally, wood is renewable, provided it is sourced from sustainably managed forests. PEFC’s standards require that after trees are harvested, the forest must be regenerated, either naturally or through replanting, to ensure continuous sustainable forest management.
“We need to search for the big picture solutions of today’s vast climate, environmental and world housing needs. This requires looking at the fundamentals of the way we build – from the material choices of large urban buildings to the details of energy performance.”
Dr Frank Werner, Werner Environment and Development
CLIMATE CHANGE
Climate change, or more accurately “the climate emergency”, affects us all; both on a personal and professional level. Building and construction work is responsible for 34% of global energy consumption and 37% of energy-related CO2 emissions, including upstream power generation4, so architects and all those in the construction value chain have a vital role to play in addressing the crisis.
Trees are one of nature’s most valuable resources in combating the climate emergency. One cubic meter of wood stores around 0.9 tons of CO2, and its production releases about 1.1 tons less CO2 than steel, concrete or plastics6. Together, this means that every cubic meter of wood used in place of these materials saves around 2 tons of CO2.
At present, it is estimated that forests store as much as 45% of all land-based carbon7. For perspective, Europe’s forests absorb about 424 million tons of CO2 each year, equivalent to roughly 10% of the continent’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
“A
sustainable European bioeconomy is necessary to build a carbon neutral future in line with the climate objectives of the UN Paris Agreement.”
European Commission strategy document, 20185
“Approximately 2.6 billion tons of carbon dioxide, one-third of the CO2 released from burning fossil fuels, is absorbed by forests every year.”
International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
Thanks to sustainable forest management, this massive carbon sink has grown by 9% in area as of 2019, compared to 25 years ago8
Forests play an integral part in the water cycle, supplying about 75% of the world’s accessible freshwater. Woody biomass also offers significant potential for clean energy. Wood is an important renewable building material that can help make cities and buildings more sustainable.
The PEFC Sustainable Forest Management standard requires that the quantity and quality of forest resources is protected. This ensures that the capacity of the forest to store and sequester carbon shall be safeguarded in the medium and long term by balancing harvesting and growth rates, using appropriate silvicultural measures and favoring techniques that minimize adverse impacts on forest resources. The standard also requires that climatepositive practices, such as reductions in greenhouse gas emissions and efficient resource use are encouraged in management operations9
UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGS)
PEFC’s work is closely aligned with the SDGs, and works towards unlocking the full potential of forests for a sustainable world:
UN Sustainable Development Goals
There are some obvious links between the SDGs and the activities of PEFC, which works towards a vision of a world where people value the full contributions of sustainably managed forests:
With many of the world’s poorest people living in and around forests, enabling smallholders to manage their forests sustainably helps to eliminate poverty.
Forests play an integral part in the water cycle: about 75% of the world’s accessible fresh water comes from the forest 10
Wood is an important renewable building material for making cities and buildings more sustainable.
The role forests have in addressing the effects of climate change is wellrecognised (see section on climate change).
Wild foods from forests contribute to food security.
Woody biomass offers significant potential for clean energy.
and consume responsibly.
About 80% of plant and animal species depend on forests to exist and survive. As a result, the protection of life on land can partially be achieved through sustainable forest management.
“With just five years to reach the Sustainable Development Goals, we need to shift into overdrive.”
António Guterres, UN Secretary-General
UNITED NATIONS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS AND PEFC
The Sustainable Development Goals are the blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. They address the global challenges we all face, including those related to poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace and justice. The 17 Goals are all interconnected, and in order to leave no one behind, it is important that we achieve them all by 203011
Sustainable forest management and certification is at the core of PEFC and is a joint stakeholder effort through the whole value chain. Sustainable forest management is much more than simply an environmental issue. It also addresses the social, economic and cultural dimensions of sustainability; elements that are also at the core of the 17 SDGs.
Some links between the SDGs and PEFC are less obvious. Forests generate employment in remote rural areas and are the basis of small enterprises (SDG 8: Decent work and economic growth). Many of these are run by women (SDG 5: Gender equality) and generate income that is invested in improving livelihoods, including the education of children (SDG 4: Quality education). Forests provide a source of medicine and contribute to health and well-being –many of us enjoy walking, hiking and cycling in the forest (SDG 3: Good health and well-being).
In total, 1.6 billion people worldwide rely on forests for their livelihoods, including 60 million indigenous people12. For 350 million other people, forests provide a direct source of income. Loss of forest area is therefore a direct threat to the way of life and livelihoods of a large group of people globally13
PEFC requires sustainable forest management to comply with the International Labour Organization (ILO)14. Since 2001, PEFC standards for forest management have included equal pay and treatment for women (SDG 5: Gender equality), even if a country has not signed the ILO Conventions15
The PEFC label encourages people to produce
“It is simple, really. Human health and the health of ecosystems are inseparable.”
Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway; appointed by the United Nations as Chair of the Brundtland Commission, which published the report “Our Common Future"
Age, gender, disability, race, ethnicity, origin, religion and economic status are also of great importance in forest management and the wood value chain. As a result, PEFC standards include social requirements and these are reviewed regularly (SDG 10: Reduce inequality).
Group certification for small-forest owners, a concept developed and popularized by PEFC, fosters effective and inclusive institutions (SDG 16: Peace, justice and strong institutions).
PEFC itself is a global, multi-stakeholder alliance that facilitates the sharing of knowledge, expertise, technologies and financial resources at all levels from local to global (SDG 17: Partnerships for the goals).
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING
Spending time in nature restores calm and wellbeing, and timber can bring that same effect indoors. Described as a biophilic effect16, the use of wood in design is linked to reduced stress, improved mood, and a healthier indoor climate. Its moistureregulating and acoustic properties can provide highquality acoustics indoors. These incredible acoustic properties are also why so many instruments are produced using wood.
A study at Aalto University in Finland17 found that solid wood surfaces have clear antibacterial properties, which could reduce the risk of crosscontamination.
“Studies examining the effects of wooden rooms and furnishings clearly demonstrate that the presence of wood has positive physiological effects, lowering blood pressure, heart rate and stress responses when compared to other material types.”
Planet Ark report “Wood: housing, health, humanity"
TIMBER IN THE LOW CARBON ECONOMY
Specifying timber significantly contributes to the global Low Carbon Economy (LCE). Architects, designers, and specifiers can accelerate this shift by prioritizing timber and wood products in their projects.
The rate and extent to which trees sequester carbon is influenced by many factors including species, site quality, climate and forest management. Trees sequester carbon more rapidly during their peak growth period between 10 and 30 years of age. If a tree is not harvested, its carbon sequestration rate slows after it reaches maturity (about 40 years for softwood and 80 years for hardwood). Beyond this point, the rate of sequestration flattens as carbon captured from new growth is offset by the release of carbon from dead or decaying parts of the tree.
Sustainably harvesting trees in their early mature phase ensures that a forest’s carbon sequestration rate is kept at an optimal level.
Forests and wood product industries contribute to the LCE in many ways, including by:
• capturing and storing atmospheric carbon in growing forests
• protecting forest carbon stores from the risk of wildfires
• providing long-term storage of carbon in durable wood products
• providing a renewable substitute for building materials that are much more emissionsintensive, such as steel, aluminum and concrete
• replacing carbon-intensive fossil fuel sources such as coal, oil and gas with bioenergy from wood.
Many timber products also undergo a significant phase of recycling, further extending the carbon storage of the element.
DESIGN FOR DECONSTRUCTION: TOWARDS
A CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Timber products have a long service life: the half-life of solid wood products can be up to 30 years when used in furniture, and up to 100 years when used in buildings. Design for Deconstruction (DfD) is a method that reduces CO2 emissions and facilitates the reuse and recycling of wood products at the end of their life cycle, which contributes to a circular economy.
The DfD criteria can be applied to each of a building’s elements. Each element can be scored by:
• the reuse and recycling potential of key timber elements within
• careful selection of connections between elements and components
• accessibility of elements and components
• the deconstruction process
The emerging principles of the “circular economy” are driving greater resource efficiency, and DfD will be an important contributor. Design for Deconstruction can increase a building’s value by extending its maintenance life.
Other DfD benefits include:
• contributing to the reduction of greenhouse emissions, specifically carbon dioxide
• creating jobs and improving quality employment via trade skills
• it is a precursor to an advanced carbon positive or zero carbon economy
• reducing disruption of soil-based carbon reserves by re-using a sustainable resource
MARKET SUPPLY
PEFC-certified timber is available in a wide range of species, offering architects, specifiers and designers the broadest selection to meet their creative and sustainable design needs. From traditional timber frame, sheet materials like Oriented Strand Board (OSB) or Medium Density Fibreboard (MDF) panels, to mass engineered timber such as Cross Laminated Timber (CLT), Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL) and Glued Laminated Timber (Glulam). PEFC-certified timber is also used for interior fit-out and building, such as for flooring, roof trusses, staircases, façades, windows and doors.
MASS ENGINEERED TIMBER
Mass engineered timber gives architects and designers a sustainable alternative for building strong, stable prefabricated modules and brings a striking aesthetic to modern building design. Mass engineered timber is predominantly (approximately 90%) made from PEFC-certified Douglas Fir, Pine, Spruce or Larch and provides a low carbon building solution that can be craned into position on site, thereby reducing construction time.
SPECIFYING
Timber is often an important specification requirement in your invitation to tender or request for quotation. PEFC recommends focusing on the performance requirements of the material rather than specifying a particular timber species.
This approach helps ensure you get the most costeffective and sustainably sourced timber solution for your project.
By specifying PEFC-certified timber and timber products, consumers and businesses support foresters who adhere to rigorous sustainable forest management standards, which by design discourages and helps to prevent illegal logging, deforestation and unsustainable forestry practices. Suppliers around the globe with a PEFC certificate can be found on PEFC’s international databasepefc.org/find-certified.
OUTSTANDING RATINGS
PEFC-certified timber is accepted in green building ratings around the globe. Using PEFCcertified material helps to achieve “Excellent” and “Outstanding” BREEAM18 ratings. Certified timber is a central component of the RICS SKA19 environmental performance standard for fit-out projects. It is also included in the US Green Building Council’s LEED20 environmental assessment program, the German Green Building Council – DGNB21, the Nordic Swan Ecolabel22, CASBEE23 in Japan, in the Netherlands: RAW specification system from CROW, STABU the standard specification for residential and commercial buildings and Dubokeur®, for environmentally friendly products from NIBE24. Certified timber can gain material credits and its thermal properties and ability to reduce thermal bridging can contribute to energy credits.
“There is a magic machine that sucks carbon out of the air, costs very little and builds itself. It’s called a tree. A tree is an example of a natural climate solution.”
George Monbiot, author, journalist and political activist
“Using wood for construction saves about 40% of carbon emissions in comparison to concrete, and about 30% in comparison to steel. Overall, global carbon dioxide emissions in the construction sector could be reduced by up to 31% if builders used wood instead of steel and concrete.”
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)
PEFC: WITH YOU ON THE JOURNEY
PEFC is active across the entire supply chain, from forest owners to the final consumer. Here’s an overview of what we do:
PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT
PEFC believes that sustainable forest management25 starts locally. That’s why we work with national organizations and forest owners of all sizes, providing independently verified certificates that demonstrate their forests are responsibly managed. Every national system is assessed against our rigorous international Sustainability Benchmark, developed with input from all stakeholders. With over 55 endorsed systems and almost 300 million hectares certified – that’s 75% of all certified forests worldwide – PEFC is the world’s leading forest certification system.
SUPPLY CHAIN AND CHAIN OF CUSTODY
From forests to final products, PEFC makes supply chains transparent. Our Chain of Custody certification26 tracks materials such as timber, paper, and packaging every step of the way, while safeguarding workers’ rights. This helps companies meet growing demands for sustainability and CSR. Whether you are a small business, a large multinational, or a construction company, we offer flexible certification options, from group and multi-site certification to individual and project certification. All backed by independent audits.
SUPPORTING CERTIFICATE HOLDERS
Sustainability is no longer optional. New EU rules such as the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR)28, Renewable Energy Directive (RED)29 and Corporae Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD)30 demand proof of responsible sourcing. PEFC helps companies to not only comply, but also stay ahead, offering practical solutions to meet ESG and CSR goals.
TREES OUTSIDE FORESTS
Sustainability goes beyond forests. Trees in cities, on farms, and by roadsides provide food, shade, materials, and cooler climates. With PEFC’s Trees outside Forests certification31 farmers, landowners, and municipalities can demonstrate the responsible management of their trees. In March 2025, the first-ever PEFC Trees outside Forests certificate was issued to the municipality of Zwolle in the Netherlands, marking a milestone in recognizing the importance of urban trees.
“Creating additional value is one of the best ways to keep forests standing, as it prevents them from being cleared for alternative unsustainable land uses.”27
BE PART OF THE SOLUTION
Deforestation accounts for 13% of global carbon emissions, according to an IPCC report32, while land use change generally accounts for 23% of emissions. Converting forests for other purposes such as grazing cattle, palm oil or soya plantations, leads to deforestation. By using PEFC-certified materials, whether for construction, interior decoration, packaging, paper, stationery or other uses, you give the forest value. It creates demand and provides landowners with financial incentives to keep forests as forests.
WANT TO LEARN MORE ABOUT TIMBER?
To inspire architects, designers, builders, policymakers, and developers in the construction industry – and to update them on the latest developments in wood and wood products – PEFC created the Tomorrow’s Timber Talks workshop together with Pablo van der Lugt and Atto Harsta, authors of the book Tomorrow’s Timber, published by MaterialDistrict. Tomorrow's Timber Talks are registered with the Architects' Register in the Netherlands as statutory CPD training courses. They are also officially registered CPD training courses in the UK and Singapore.
For more information visit: pefc.nl/talks or send an email to Patricia Dolman, patricia.dolman@pefc.nl.
CREDITS
“Show
your commitment by supporting the world’s forests. Together, we can drive positive change in the construction industry and for the planet.”
Please share your projects with us: patricia.dolman@pefc.nl
We would like to thank our colleagues, national members and international stakeholder members of PEFC on all continents for their support in making our contribution to this book possible. We are also very grateful to everyone who shared photos.
Mark Thomson Architect, Director at Eco Effective Solutions ecoeffective.com.au
Patricia Dolman
Marketing & Communication Manager at PEFC Netherlands pefc.nl
PEFC – CARING FOR OUR FORESTS LOCALLY AND GLOBALLY
pefc.org
November 2025
PEFC
Hollandseweg 7-G 6706 KN Wageningen
The PEFC team is looking forward to seeing your future designs made with sustainable timber.
REFERENCES
1. PEFC: the Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification, pefc.org.
2. PEFC national members also include organizations that do not cite PEFC within their name, such as the Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI); American Tree Farm System; Responsible Wood; New Zealand Forest Certification Association; PAN African Forest Certification (PAFC); South African Forestry Assurance; China Forest Certification Council; Network for Certification and Conservation of Forests; Sustainable Green Ecosystem Council (SGEC) Japan; Indonesian Forestry Certification; Malaysian Timber Certification Council; and Certificação Florestal (CERFLOR).
3. Essay “In the Cause of Architecture, IV: The Meaning of Materials—Wood”, May 1928 in Architectural Record.
4. United Nations Environment Programme (2024). Global Alliance for Buildings & Construction, Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction 2024/2025.
5. European Union, A Sustainable Bioeconomy for Europe: Strengthening the Connection Between Economy, Society and the Environment (Brussels: European Commission)
6. CEI-Bois, Wood as Carbon Stores (Brussels: CEI-Bois)
7. “A Large and Persistent Carbon Sink in the World’s Forest”, HAL Open Science, cea.hal.science/cea-00819253 document
8. CEI-Bois, Wood: Building the Bioeconomy (Brussels: CEI-Bois)
9. Text taken from the PEFC Sustainable Forest Management Standard (ST 1003:2024), also known as the Sustainability Benchmark Standard.
10. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Forest and Water Programme.
11. United Nations, Sustainable Development Agenda, sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
12. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Forest-Based Poverty Reduction: A Brief Review of Facts, Figures, Challenges and Possible Ways Forward (Rome: 2002) fao.org/3/a-ac914e.pdf
13. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), Forest-Based Poverty Reduction: A Brief Review of Facts, Figures, Challenges and Possible Ways Forward (Rome: 2002) .fao.org/3/a-ac914e.pdf
PHOTO CREDITS
In order of first appearance:
Ossip van Duivenbode cover
Marnix Foeken for PEFC Netherlands 3 (left), 4, 5, 7, 12, 13 (top left & bottom right)
Stora Enso 3 (right), 10 (bottom right)
Rico Yuliyanto for PEFC Photo Contest (top left) 6
Anuradha Marwah for PEFC Photo Contest (top right) 6
Robert Sommer for PEFC Photo Contest (bottom left) 6
Timo Sundgren for PEFC Photo Contest (bottom right) 6
Patricia Dolman, PEFC Netherlands 7
Peter Voeroes for PEFC Photo Contest 8
PEFC Netherlands 9
Kjell Wiklund for PEFC Photo Contest (left) 10
Ella Nurmi for PEFC Photo Contest (top right) 10
Mohd Samsi Sumairi for PEFC Photo Contest 11
Keril Chairil for PEFC Photo Contest (top) 12
Sven Menschel for PEFC Netherlands (top right & bottom left) 13
PEFC International 14
14. International Labour Organization (ILO), .ilo.org
15. The PEFC General Assembly decided in 2001 to implement the seven core International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions into PEFC guidelines on standard setting
16. ARUP, Rethinking Timber Buildings: Seven perspectives on the use of timber in building design and construction (London: 2019)
17. Tiina Vainio-Kaila, Antibacterial Properties of Scots Pine and Norway Spruce (Helsinki: Aalto University)
18. BREEAM, breeam.com
19. RICS, SKA Rating, rics.org
20. US Green Building Council (USGBC), LEED: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, .usgbc.org/leed
21. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Nachhaltiges Bauen (DGNB), German Green Building Council, dgnb.de
22. Nordic Swan Ecolabel, nordic-swan-ecolabel.org
23. CASBEE Japan, ibecs.or.jp/CASBEE/english/
24. RAW specification system from CROW - crow.nl | STABU, the standard specification for residential and commercial buildings - stabu.org | Dubokeur®, for environmentally friendly products from NIBE - dubokeur.nl
25. PEFC, Forest Owners, pefc.org/for-business/forest-owners or pefc.nl/bosbeheer
26. PEFC, What You Can Do, pefc.org/what-you-can-do or pefc.nl/bedrijven
27. UNECE, UNECE and Canada champion forest products for a more sustainable future, (7 November 2018) unece.org/ media/press/909
28. PEFC, EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), pefc.org/eudr or pefc.nl/eudr
29. PEFC Netherlands, RED III, pefc.nl/rediii
30. PEFC Netherlands, Wetgeving [Legislation], pefc.nl/ wetgeving
31. PEFC Netherlands, Bomenbeheer [Tree Management], pefc.nl/bomenbeheer
32. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), Special Report on Climate Change, Desertification, Land Degradation, Sustainable Land Management, Food Security, and Greenhouse Gas Fluxes in Terrestrial Ecosystems (Geneva: IPCC, August 2019).
ABOUT THE COVER
The 50 meters high circular timber residential building SAWA is a development by NICE Developers & ERA Contour, designed by Mei architects and planners. Four core values guided its design and development: CO2-reduction (air), Circularity (earth), Biodiversity (animals and plants), Inclusiveness, health and sharing (people). The trees used for the CLT construction came from PEFC-certified production forests in North RhineWestphalia, West Germany. Photo by Ossip van Duivenbode.
THE TIMBER TRUTH
BUSTING THE MYTHS ABOUT THE REAL POTENTIAL OF TIMBER BUILDINGS
Timber is often hailed as the material of the future — renewable, low-carbon, and beautiful. Yet despite growing enthusiasm for timber construction, persistent myths continue to shape how architects, policymakers, and builders perceive wood. Is it really less durable? Too flammable? Limited in design? Or environmentally overrated?
The Timber Truth dismantles sixteen of the most common misconceptions about timber — from concerns about fire safety, strength, and lifespan, to debates on carbon storage, circularity, and sustainable forestry. Drawing on the latest scientific research, European building practice, and policy developments, the book reveals what the data actually show — and where the real challenges lie.
Structured around four themes — Building Quality & Performance, Environment & Climate, Forestry & Availability, and Economy & Market — The Timber Truth combines rigorous analysis with inspiring visuals, including stunning examples of the most innovative mass timber and biobased projects from around the world. Written in a clear, accessible style, it offers professionals the knowledge and perspective to move beyond opinion and ideology — toward evidencebased, nature-positive construction.
About the Author
Dr. Pablo van der Lugt is an architectural engineer and leading voice in mass timber and biobased construction. Author of Tomorrow’s Timber and Booming Bamboo, he bridges science and practice to show how building with nature can combat climate change. As a keynote and TEDx speaker, he inspires audiences worldwide with his vision of a sustainable built environment.
Cover photo: ©Ossip van Duivenbode
ISBN: 978-90-834293-2-8