Timber Construction Course for Housing corporations

Climate action is needed now: start building responsibly with timber

 

Timber construction is gaining momentum rapidly – and for good reason. Wood is a sustainable and circular building material that stores CO₂, is highly suitable for prefabrication, and contributes to comfortable and healthy homes.

For housing corporations, timber construction offers significant opportunities. At the same time, it requires a well-considered approach and collaboration with the right partners. During this course, you will gain all the knowledge needed to act successfully as a client in timber construction projects.

Course topics

  • Availability of timber

  • Best practices

  • Laws and regulations

  • Architecture & health

  • Timber construction techniques

  • Building physics

  • Tenants

  • Costs

  • Windows, façades and balconies

“A well‑structured course and an excellent introduction to timber as a building material. The combination of theory and practical insights works very well. It is valuable that courses like this exist, continued dialogue and knowledge sharing about timber construction remain essential.” 

Project leader, social housing association (Netherlands)

Who should attend?

This course is designed for strategy‑level and project‑level professionals, including:

  • Project leaders and development managers

  • Directors and senior advisors at housing associations

  • Asset managers and portfolio strategists

  • Policy and sustainability leads

  • Public‑sector and municipal housing professionals

The course is non‑technical by design: no prior expertise in timber construction is required. The emphasis is on decision‑making, commissioning and collaboration, not engineering calculations.

  • Top-down view of a wooden dining table set with four white plates, black cutlery, and a small vase with dried flowers in a wooden room with a large green plant, and four people standing around.
  • A business meeting or presentation in a conference room with a presenter standing by a large wall-mounted screen displaying a slide, and several attendees sitting around a wooden table listening, drinking coffee, and taking notes.
  • A group of people wearing safety vests standing in front of a large sign that reads 'Hier groeit iets moois' with a smaller text below 'Flow zet woningbouw in beweging', at an indoor event or construction site.
  • A group of people standing and sitting inside a modern office or conference room taking a group selfie. There is a large digital display on the wall behind them showing an image and text related to a presentation or workshop.
  • People observing a large industrial machine through a small window in a white wall.
  • Man giving a presentation to a group of people seated around conference tables in a modern meeting room with large windows.
  • People inside a modern industrial facility observing screens and equipment mounted on a wall, with large wooden frames hanging from the ceiling.

About the course

    • In‑person delivery in the Netherlands

    • Interactive group size (12–20 participants)

    • Case‑based discussions grounded in social housing practice

    • Optional site visit to a timber housing project or production facility

    • Space for dialogue on risks, doubts and organisational barriers

    The course encourages peer learning and reflection on participants’ own projects and strategies.

  • The course consists of interconnected modules that can be delivered in one or multiple sessions:

    1. Why build with timber?
      Climate impact, circularity, carbon storage and forest value

    2. Timber construction systems
      Timber frame (HSB), CLT, hybrid solutions and building physics

    3. Architecture, health and wellbeing
      Biophilic design and indoor environmental quality

    4. The tenant perspective
      Expectations, communication and living in timber homes

    5. Rules and regulations
      Fire safety, legislation and national differences

    6. Costs and affordability
      Initial costs, TCO, social costs and future developments

    7. Successful commissioning
      Procurement strategies, collaboration and scaling up

  • The course materials are fully adaptable to different national contexts. Regulations, procurement systems and market conditions differ across countries — and the course is designed to reflect that.

    For organisations outside the Netherlands, the HOME for the future team can:

    • Support local trainers or partners

    • Assist with adapting the course content

    • Provide guidance through online Teams sessions

    • Share experience from over 100 housing corporations already involved

Interested in the course?