Feature: Timber Design Conference | 47


SUMMARY


■ The TDUK conference was backed by Swedish Wood


■Human Nature’s Phoenix project will comprise over 700 homes


■WeCanMake’s MultiMax is a home- grown timber-based kit-of-parts system for low-rise housing


■ The launch of the National Housing Bank, a subsidiary of Homes England, was announced in June


TIMBER BUILDING PUSHES MULTIPLE BUTTONS


Speakers at the TDUK Timber Design Conference made a convincing, all-round case for how wood-based building can help meet UK need for more socially and environmentally sustainable and more affordable housing. Mike Jeffree reports


The all-round environmental merits of timber-based building and its capacity to decarbonise construction were naturally a focus of Timber Development UK’s second Timber Design conference. But speakers also addressed its potential role in the move to a house building model centred on social value, support for local economies, well-being and creation of sustainable communities. Timber construction affordability came up too. It was explained how timber building can capitalise on social value rules allowing local authorities to set the price of land they release for development below market rate. It was described as ‘affordable land’ hiding in plain sight. Also highlighted was the potential to bill timber-based housing as a carbon offset investment alternative to forest projects. ►


Above: The Phoenix development covers a 7.9ha brownfield site and will comprise over 700 homes www.ttjonline.com | September/October 2025 | TTJ


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