Sustainable Building with Timber

Free online course on edX

starts 18 October 15 November 2023

"The way and manner we build and materialize has to change. One of the most promising solutions is building with wood and other biobased materials from sustainably managed sources.”

Arjan van Timmeren, professor of Environmental Technology & Design at TU Delft

Registration open

Registration for the free online course 'Sustainable Building with Timber' on edX, the online learning platform created by Harvard and MIT is now possible. This course was developed by Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in cooperation with FSC® and other parties. Thanks to this course, all stakeholders in the built environment – architects, developers, engineers, consultants and policy makers, as well as students – can gain knowledge and skills needed to exploit the enormous potential of timber construction. The first edition of this seven-week course starts on November 15.

Photo: Lister Buildings

The way we build our buildings must change

More than 35% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from the built environment, a third of which are specifically related to the production of building materials such as concrete, metal and plastics. In addition to climate change, there are other challenges facing the construction industry, such as resource scarcity, health issues and the need to build enough housing. "The way and manner we build and materialize has to change. One of the most promising solutions is building with wood and other biobased materials from sustainably managed sources. Thanks to various developments in construction methods and solid wood and/or composite wood and biobased material composites, large-scale application of wood in the built environment is possible, even for high-rise buildings. The high-quality applications with wood will contribute significantly to the necessary transition to a less impactful construction (industry)." said Arjan van Timmeren, professor of Environmental Technology & Design at TU Delft.

Holistic understanding of sustainable timber construction

The Sustainable Building with Timber course offers a carefully crafted curriculum designed to give participants a holistic understanding of sustainable timber construction. Among other things, participants learn that sustainable forest management is an essential prerequisite for the use of timber in construction. Sustainable forest management allows us to use wood while preserving forests without harming their ecological, social and economic functions. Sustainably produced wood contributes to carbon sequestration, both in forests and in buildings.

Healthy buildings

Wood is also ideal for prefabrication, allowing most of the construction labor to take place in production halls and making the construction process itself cleaner, faster and of higher quality, with less inconvenience on site also to the environment. Circular construction practices allow wood structures to be reused on an individual building and regional level.  This, compared to traditional constructions, will result in healthier buildings that store carbon instead of emitting it, while the raw material grows back in sustainably managed forests.

HOME for the future

The course was developed as part of the HOME for the future project. This ambitious project, initiated by FSC® Netherlands and FSC® Denmark, aims to increase the amount of wood from sustainably managed forests used in social housing construction. The project includes several activities: improving the position of wood as a building material in legislation, increasing knowledge about building with wood in the construction industry and producing life cycle analyses (LCAs) and product maps (EPDs) to be added to the National Environmental Database. Furthermore, tools are being developed to better identify the cost and climate benefits of building with wood. HOME for the future is part of the EU LIFE program.

Course syllabus

  • We will explore the importance of shifting to a (more) timber and bio-based construction industry, within the larger societal context of circularity, sustainability and a low-carbon building sector. You will learn how this includes the entire value chain from sustainable forestry to the socio-cultural and economic aspects of policies that hinder, or favor, timber construction and innovation.

  • We will explain the relevance of assessing the environmental impacts of building with timber vs. conventional materials, with a method called Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). You will learn the general framework of LCA, and compare results based on an illustrative case study assessing different material alternatives. We will then focus on the comparison of carbon footprints, end-of-life scenarios, and the importance of prolonging product lifespans.

  • We will analyze and identify the main typologies for new low-rise, mid-rise and high-rise timber buildings, as well as circular timber design typologies for the refurbishment and top-up of existing buildings. You will learn how and when each typology can be applied, by analyzing case studies. You will also study the concept of design for disassembly.

  • We will examine timber load-bearing structures focusing on their structural cohesion and stability, as well as identifying different construction systems, including their components and methods of execution. You will learn about typologies and dimensions of timber systems for structure and façade design by studying case studies from all over the world.

  • We will look at the material and physical properties of timber with regard to weather and fire proofing, humidity and heat mitigation, indoor climate comfort, circular assembly and adaptability. You will learn more about how the physical design qualities of certain timber building products make them ideal substitutes for abiotic building products.

  • We will explore the prefabrication and industrialization potential of mass timber buildings. You will go on a short (virtual) tour through a conditioned manufacturing hall to understand how activities associated with construction can easily be moved away from building sites, and why they should be.

  • In the final week we will look back at the course and reflect on what we have learnt. You will be able to produce convincing arguments, practical strategies and supporting evidence to promote the use of timber in your own field of interest.

Instructors

  • Arjan van Timmeren

    Arjan van Timmeren is full professor at Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Department Urbanism, Environmental Technology & Design, Academical Portfolio Director ‘Sustainable Cities’ for TU Delft Extension School for continuing education and Principal Investigator at ‘AMS Institute’ (Institute for ‘Advanced Metropolitan Solutions’) in Amsterdam.

    His work focuses on sustainable development in the built environment, with emphasis on Environmental Technology, Urban Metabolism, Circular and Biobased Economy, Urban Climate and environmental behaviour.

    Arjan leads several (inter)national projects and has seats in (inter)national steering groups, quality teams and scientific boards

  • Gilbert Koskamp

    Gilbert Koskamp is a lecturer at Delft University of Technology (NL) in the Department of Architectural Engineering and Technology, a research tutor at the Academy of Architecture in Amsterdam, and a co-founder and partner at Ssse | OvO Associates Architects.

    He was raised in Switzerland where he studied technical engineering and architecture and worked as an architect in the Saint Gallen Area, he has been located in Amsterdam since 1995. He is focused on researching the design of timber construction and is a founder of TREE_TimberREengineered, as well as the initiator and coordinator of Touching Cellulose, a high-end timber lecture series.

  • Pierre Jennen

    Pierre Jennen is a staff member at Delft University of Technology in the Department of Architectural Engineering and Technology, and a co-founder and partner at Ssse | OvO Associates Architects. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at Delft University of Technology where, in 2014, he initiated the wood studio in the Master 1 course.

    He is also a contributor to TREE_TimberREengineered and to the Touching Cellulose high-end timber lecture series.

  • Pablo van der Lugt

    Pablo van der Lugt is research fellow for biobased building at AMS Institute and Delft University of Technology in the Department of Urbanism, in addition to his role as senior consultant in the mass timber and engineered bamboo industry.

    He obtained his PhD from TU Delft on the environmental impact of building materials with a focus on biobased building materials. He is an expert on the biobased circular construction economy. He regularly gives keynote lectures on this topic and has written internationally acclaimed articles and books, including Tomorrow’s Timber and Booming Bamboo.

  • Elizabeth Migoni Alejandre

    Elizabeth Migoni Alejandre is a researcher at Delft University of Technology in the Department of Environmental Technology and Design. Her doctoral studies, conducted at Leiden University, have focused on environmental sciences, working on the connection of ecosystem services and life cycle assessment.

    Her current research explores the environmental implications of biomaterials in the built environment to support sustainable urban transitions.

The Sustainable Building with Timber course was developed by TU Delft's Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment and the TU Delft Circular Built Environment Hub, in collaboration with VIA University College Denmark, FSC® Netherlands, Ssse OvO associates architects, Lister Buildings, AMS Institute, Material District geWOONhout, Waechter Waechter and TU Darmstadt.