40 | Sector Focus: Timber Construction
e) to manufacture, while the trees from which they are made sequestered 4,999 tonnes of CO2 that CO2
while growing. Moreover, will be stored in Timber Square for its lifespan.
◄ “Timber Square takes that to a new level,” said Mr Flood. “The aim is for it to be a sustainable ecosystem, where global corporates sit together with local start-ups, all brought together to make a difference.” Landsec estimates that the development avoided 7,000 tonnes of carbon emissions for starters by retaining 80% of the fabric of the “very robust” 1950s printworks as the basis for the Timber Square east building. It meant no new base structure
or foundations were needed to support the multi-storey hybrid roof top extension “minimising use of further resources”. “We also asked the team to consider low carbon materials such as engineered timber,” said Landsec head of sustainability Nils Rage. “Timber is one of the most exciting and promising construction materials we have today – a slab of timber is basically a slab of carbon that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.”
“Choosing Sylva CLT elements instead of non-renewables avoided 7,499 tonnes of greenhouse gases according to our Carbon Calculator,” said Stora Enso. To ensure they arrived on site in prime condition, and remained so during construction, many of the CLT elements were protected with a biocide-free end grain sealer and breathable, temporary membrane by Stora Enso’s Sylva Protect Service. “The in-house application prevented water or dirt from getting trapped in the wood during the transport and construction phase and eliminated the need for any time- consuming on-site application,” said Stora Enso. “When the kit of parts arrived on- site, the elements were ready to be installed immediately.”
The embodied carbon was tracked throughout the design of Timber Square and the combined figure for both buildings is calculated at 248kg CO2
e/m2 . That beats
the 2030 target set for the structure by the environment professionals network London Energy Transformation Initiative (LETI). Taking into account the building’s carbon storage, its environmental profile is more impressive still, said Stora Enso. Another essential component of sustainability, according to developer and architect, is the health and well-being of Timber Square’s occupants.
“That has been achieved through providing open space and greenery, so virtually every floor has a roof terrace, and by giving access to the materials internally, which are much more natural than is usual in buildings of this nature,” said Mr Fisher.
Top: Timber Square comprises an all-new hybrid timber block and
an upward extension to the existing concrete-based printworks on the site Above: Timber Square is a poster project for hybrid timber construction
TTJ | July/August 2025 |
www.ttjonline.com
Timber Square is scheduled for completion in Q4 this year and, says Bennetts Associates, is on target to achieve top environmental credentials. That includes BREEAM Outstanding, and Platinum under the Well Building Standard. “Tackling climate change can be a very daunting thought,” said Mr Fisher. “But there are pockets of hope, and I like to think that Timber Square is one of those – the blueprint for a better future.” ■
The main contractor for the project is Mace, working with timber and steel frame specialists Hybrid Structures, which has extensive experience using the Sylva Building system. According to third party environmental product declaration assessment, says Stora Enso, Sylva has one of the lowest carbon footprints of its structural system type. The Sylva CLT elements used in Timber Square generated just 345 tonnes of greenhouse gases (CO2
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