Designing the future with sustainable timber

Timber has a significantly lower embodied carbon footprint compared to other mainstream construction materials. If sustainably sourced, using timber can have an additional positive environmental impact because trees absorb carbon dioxide through photosynthesis and lock it away as carbon, thus removing it from the atmosphere.

Below, you can find some of the most sustainable buildings in London –

The Cube/ Wenlock Road in London, UK

Completed in 2015

The main carcass of the building is constructed of solid cross-laminated timber, a highly sustainable, modern material which is manufactured off-site. With its highest point 10 storeys high,  it’s the tallest cross-laminated timber hybrid buildings in Europe and match the world record, which is currently under construction in Australia.

The cross laminated elevations will be clad in western red cedar. Along the Wenlock Road elevation a dark brick screen completes the street elevation, which forms the edge of the conservation area. It’s named the ‘Banyan Wharf’ in reference to the banyan tree, which has a similar sculptural appearance.

Dalston Lane in London, UK

Completed in 2016

Another CLT building under construction in London’s Borough of Hackney, this cluster of residential blocks is equal the nearby Cube in height. Designed by the architect of Murray Grove, Waugh Thistleton, the 121-unit residential plywood building will last for up to 150 years, and can be recycled at the end of its lifespan.

Curtain Place

Completed in 2015

Curtain Place is a six-storey development situated through a narrow entrance in the heart of Shoreditch. The use of a hybrid steel and CLT structure ensured that this scale of project could be undertaken to a high standard, despite the constricted access.

The discrete, set back residential floors house nine south-facing apartments, built entirely from timber. The stepped form gives access to a shared outdoor balcony with views out onto east London.

Courtesy of Waugh Thistleton

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