//How Timber Frame Structures Can Help Slow Climate Change

Construction activity and systems have a huge impact on the environment, and as concerns around climate change continue to grow, the industry is always shifting towards more sustainable ways of building.

As the demand for housing and infrastructure continues to rise, historically used materials like steel and concrete, known for their high carbon emissions, present a major challenge to reducing carbon emissions.

A Nature Communications study suggests that timber frame structures could slow urban construction’s impact on climate change, as timber-frame structures are a more sustainable alternative, storing the CO₂ absorbed by trees and offering a renewable, lower-carbon way to build.

At Pinewood, sustainability is a key part of our growth strategy. We’re always working towards a net-zero business plan, so that, as we grow, our decarbonisation strategies can grow alongside us.

In this guide, we explore how timber can play a crucial role in combating climate change.

//Reducing Embodied Carbon

Embodied carbon refers to the emissions generated during manufacturing, transporting, and assembling construction materials.

Timber is naturally low in embodied carbon compared with materials like steel or concrete, as it requires less energy-intensive processing and produces fewer emissions. Plus, it also acts as a carbon store, with each cubic metre of timber storing roughly one ton of CO₂. Overall, timber structures can have up to 75% lower embodied carbon compared to traditional building materials like steel or concrete.

The study suggests that using timber frame structures to build mid-rise developments is one of the most effective ways to reduce embodied carbon in the built environment. This could save 100 billion tonnes of CO₂ emissions by 2100.

Wood is widely regarded as one of the most sustainable building materials, especially when sourced responsibly. Advances in technology have further enhanced its performance, making it an increasingly practical and forward-looking choice for modern construction.

As a result, timber-frame buildings are an effective way to reduce construction-related emissions and support more sustainable urban development.

//Carbon Sequestration & Storage

Trees absorb CO₂ from the atmosphere as they grow, storing carbon within their fibres through the process of photosynthesis. When timber is harvested and used in construction, this carbon remains locked within the wood for the building’s lifespan, often for decades, preventing it from being released back into the atmosphere.

Sustainably managed forests ensure that new trees are planted to replace those harvested, continuing the cycle of carbon absorption. This makes timber not only a renewable source but also part of an ongoing carbon storage system.

In addition to its carbon benefits, the study also looked at how we could use timber to meet the needs of housing a growing urban population. It addressed a common concern of using wood as a building material by avoiding deforestation as much as possible.

Instead, the study suggests that wood plantations would be able to meet much of the demands that timber cities would put on the construction industry. This means less impact on the biodiversity of forests and farmland, with wood farmed more responsibly.

//Additional Benefits of Timber Frame

When it comes to timber frame structures, they aren’t just good for the environment; they have plenty of advantages as building materials in their own right.

Timber-frame construction can also help save time and reduce costs, largely due to the benefits of offsite manufacturing. Whether bespoke or produced at scale, timber structures are prefabricated in controlled factory environments, where strict quality standards are maintained. Because the components are manufactured in advance, on-site assembly is quicker and more efficient, helping to reduce labour time, waste and overall project costs.

Modern technology in timber construction also means there’s never been a better time to build with wood. For example, all timber frame structures have the minimum 60-year design life required to meet regulations.