New research project aims to optimize timber usage in construction with efficiency metrics; changebuilding, University of Stuttgart and Waugh Thistleton Architects lead study introducing Wood Use Intensity and Use Renewal Rate measurements

Timber is one of the few renewable and scalable materials capable of decarbonising construction. It’s lightweight, machinable, and low impact—making it an ideal alternative to high-carbon materials like concrete and steel. New research seeks to make it even more effective.

While timber is renewable, there is only so much that can be supplied at any one time. A new research project lead by changebuilding, University of Stuttgart, and Waugh Thistleton Architects – aims to maximise the positive effects of timber through new efficiency metrics.

“If we are to make the transition to using more natural materials we need to think more about how efficiently and also sufficiently we can design buildings, said Adrian Campbell, founder of changebuilding. “This is the best way to both effectively decarbonise construction and, importantly, save clients costs,” he said.

Currently, the industry lacks tools to measure how effectively wood is used—or how long it should last relative to how long it takes to grow. Without these metrics, we risk inefficiency, rising costs, and unsustainable consumption.

Rising to meet this challenge, the Using Wood Well project introduces two powerful and practical new metrics that can be integrated into existing Whole Life Carbon frameworks:

• Wood Use Intensity (WUI) measures how much wood is used in a building relative to its size or function – providing a clear indicator of material efficiency. This can drive better design decisions, reduce unnecessary overspecification, and lead directly to lower costs for clients and developers.
• Wood Use Renewal Rate (URR) compares how long wood is used in buildings to how long it takes to regrow – highlighting the importance of designing for longevity, reuse, and circularity. This broader sustainability lens is vital for respecting wood as a precious resource, promoting circular economy principles, and planning for a future of regenerative construction.

These metrics are being applied to a unique dataset of over 400 global timber buildings, collated by the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD), and will be made publicly accessible to drive industry-wide benchmarking and adoption.

“To truly advance our understanding of efficient and sustainable timber construction, it’s essential to examine a wide range of built projects and data,” said Hans-Jakob Wagner, Research Group Leader of the Computational Wood Architecture Group, Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart.

“By extending and enriching data, we hope to leverage digital processes to gain deeper insights and a broader picture — not only on how to use timber more efficiently, but also on how to better preserve this resource, inform future sustainable design practices and drive innovation across the sector.”

Real world impact

Using Wood Well aligns with key global goals like the UN Sustainable Development Goals, including ‘Sustainable Cities and Communities’, ‘Responsible Consumption and Production’, ‘Climate Action’, and ‘Life on Land’.

With carbon emissions continuing to climb, it is essential global leaders in mass timber and sustainable building come together on projects such as ‘Using Wood Well’, said Kirsten Haggart, director, Waugh Thistleton Architects.

“The construction industry needs to do more than just count carbon—we must use the planet’s precious resources wisely,” she said. “Wood Use Intensity and Use Renewal Rate metrics help us quantify how efficiently we use bio based resources and reminds us to consider the time it takes nature to grow materials and how fast we chose to use and dispose of them, engendering a respect for materials in every design decision.”

Tools and findings from this work are being embedded in future case studies by Timber Development UK (TDUK) and have gained interest from policy-shaping bodies such as CEI-Bois and IStructE.

By linking timber usage to cost savings, resource efficiency, and supply chain awareness, the project supports both climate resilience and economic pragmatism in the construction sector.

The project team

The project core team is a collaboration between changebuilding – biomaterials, sustainability and construction change experts, ICD at University of Stuttgart – leaders in digital design and timber construction, and Waugh Thistleton Architects – global pioneers and innovators in mass timber architecture

It is supported by Arup – renowned global sustainability and engineering consultants, Michael Green Associates – North American timber specialists, SOGES at University of Southampton – ecological and systems thinking experts, and Stora Enso – timber product innovation and supply chain insight.

Generously funded by Built by Nature, this initiative supports their mission to accelerate timber and biobased construction, said Paul King, CEO of Built by Nature.

“The Using Wood Well project is a powerful example of how we can turn principles into practice. By introducing the Wood Use Intensity and Use Renewal Rate metrics, this initiative gives the industry concrete tools to maximise the carbon storage potential of timber,” he said.

“This directly advances Principle 4 of our Principles for Responsible Timber Construction. These metrics help ensure that every piece of wood is used efficiently, lasts longer, and can be reused or repurposed, supporting a truly circular and regenerative built environment. It’s exactly the kind of innovation we need to accelerate the responsible transformation of our construction sector.”