Led by architecture practice dRMM and conducted in collaboration with Edinburgh Napier University and the Quality of Life Foundation, the Measuring Mass Timber project showcases the significant environmental and quality of life benefits of mass timber construction through an innovative analysis methodology.
dRMM and partners identified a lack of data that demonstrates the full potential of timber’s whole life carbon and quality of life benefits. Without widespread adoption of mass timber in construction it will be very difficult for the built environment to decarbonise quickly enough to avoid irretrievable climate breakdown. So the methodology was developed through an overview of industry best practice, with a goal to assess the quality of life and whole life carbon impacts of five case study projects across different sectors.
The case studies are UK exemplars of building for education, infrastructure, worship, residential and commercial uses designed by architecture practices Architype, Fereday Pollard, Marks Barfield Architects, Tikari Works and Waugh Thistleton Architects. According to the report, mass timber is a readily available solution that can help achieve ambitious embodied carbon targets today, while the quality of life assessment of the case study buildings has revealed them to be healthy places that help people connect with nature.
Each building was subject to detailed life cycle analysis, internal environment monitoring and user consultation over the two-year study to measure the benefits of mass timber through evidence-led research. The broad range of buildings showcase how these benefits might be maximized across sectors to enhance both national and international timber development.
“The built environment is hugely varied and highly complex and this valuable collaborative research effort led by dRMM sets a benchmark to build out from, so as to inform the decision-making process of future projects. Follow on case studies would be welcome because ultimately the more evidence we have of the whole life value of mass timber the more confidence the market will have in its undoubted credentials as a sustainable and modern construction technique,” said Professor Robert Hairstans, Edinburgh Napier University.
The quality of life assessment of the case study buildings has revealed them to be healthy places that help people connect with nature. Internal conditions for temperature, humidity and air quality were monitored with devices and are routinely within recommended ranges, despite the diverse sets of requirements. Occupant satisfaction was recorded by interviews and questionnaires showing that the majority of all users felt more relaxed and comfortable in the mass timber buildings and that more than three quarters were reminded of the natural world by the materials.
All five case studies use existing technology to perform well against industry benchmarks for whole life carbon (where those exist). On top of this, the carbon storage potential is significant in mass timber buildings if the buildings are designed and delivered robustly ensuring longevity. In total, these five buildings store more than five thousand tonnes of CO2 captured by the sustainably managed forests from where their products are derived. The buildings employ a wide range of engineered wood products, including glum and CLT, and evidence the ability of long-life harvested wood products to both store carbon and offer real solutions to reducing the embodied carbon of buildings.
The study offers an open-source tool for developers and designers to measure the impacts of their buildings whilst addressing pressing concerns of a sector with an increasing appetite for life cycle analysis and post occupancy evaluation. The report also shares lessons learned in conducting building assessments, which were undertaken in line with the relevant standards despite significant barriers found in an industry that is only beginning to address the need for reliable tools for data collection and analysis of buildings.
The data gathered across the case studies is shared in detail, revealing the nuances of mass timber construction, and offering the basis for a larger dataset, should more research be supported and adopted. Measuring Mass Timber could be seen as a first step in building an evidence-driven case for timber construction using whole life carbon and wellbeing metrics in combination, supporting DEFRA’s goal of ‘improving data on timber and whole life carbon’.
“The evidence coming from all the case study buildings feels like a powerful beginning in establishing the case for mass timber. We have seen how mass timber supports lower carbon construction today. We have seen how mass timber and biophilia can help people feel more connected to nature, to feel more relaxed and comfortable and to provide healthier internal environments. So let’s accelerate its use responsibly and efficiently, and in so doing support sustainable and ethical forestry practices,” stated Kat Scott, Report Co-Author.
