Coillte and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) recently brought over 200 national and international experts together from the timber and construction industries, the scientific community, and government departments to discuss and promote increasing the use of wood in construction.

Delegates at the ‘Build with Wood Conference’ in Wicklow were told that timber will play a significant role in building sustainable homes and make a significant contribution to achieving our national climate targets

The Minister of State with responsibility for Forestry, Farm Safety and Horticulture, Michael Healy Rae, TD, addressed the delegates at the third Build with Wood conference, which was moderated by architect and broadcaster Dermot Bannon at Beyond the Trees, Avondale, Co Wicklow.

Minister Healy Rae announced plans to establish a new Timber Knowledge Development and Innovation facility co-funded by the DAFM, which will be co-ordinated by Enterprise Ireland, to drive expertise, research, and innovation in the use of timber across the construction sector.

Support for the establishment of this new facility is a key recommendation of the Timber in Construction Steering Group, which builds on the work of DAFM, COFORD and Enterprise Ireland since the first Build with Wood Conference in 2022.

The steering group determined that this facility will play a key role in supporting the transition towards more sustainable building practices. Focusing on the need for regulatory change, the steering group highlighted the urgency of developing national specifications and supporting frameworks to facilitate the greater use of timber in construction in compliance with the Building Regulations. In addition, it called for the integration of carbon targets and performance metrics within the public procurement processes. Together, these measures will create the conditions necessary to accelerate the safe, compliant, and widespread use of timber in construction.

This year’s conference built on the momentum from the previous conferences, exploring the carbon benefits of using more wood in construction and the key government and industry actions needed to achieve this. The Timber in Construction Steering group was established to examine the regulatory challenges and changes to building standards required to increase the use of timber in construction. The steering group will shortly publish its report, in which it will make a series of recommendations to promote and facilitate greater use of wood in construction in Ireland.

The day began with a focus on delivering the National Development Plan (NDP) throughout the Atlantic Economic Corridor. Pressures such as population growth and a lack of skilled workers have resulted in an urgent need for investment and efficient development within communities in the west of Ireland. Speakers noted that in order to realise the ambitions of Project Ireland 2040, leadership and collaboration must be leveraged as they are critical enablers. A compelling panel discussion followed, where the importance of information management roles and senior member buy-in was highlighted. Emphasis was placed on collaboration with academia and local authorities for the supply chain. The west of Ireland was highlighted as an example of the opportunity that exists outside of Dublin.

Conference attendees were presented with insights from members of Build Digital’s three public client task groups. The task groups cover areas such as national infrastructure, local infrastructure, and housing, and each group presented their current areas of focus, regional context and future plans. Challenges varied for each, but the importance of information sharing, collaboration and fostering a culture of openness between departments and faculties was highlighted by each.

The conference concluded with presentations from Build Digital’s partners from Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) ATU, MTU, SETU, TU Dublin and UCD. A showcase of the deliverables from the three Build Digital Hubs, Digi Adopt, Digi Implement and Digi Innovate was followed by a panel discussion with Build Digital Operation and Communication Lead, Mary Ryan.

Adopting more timber in Ireland’s built environment offers a clear pathway to meeting embodied carbon reduction targets, while unlocking the environmental and economic benefits already realised across Europe, where timber construction is a more widely accepted form of building.

Speaking at the conference, Minister of State Healy Rae said, “By fostering greater use of wood in construction, we have an opportunity to both contribute to solving Ireland’s housing crisis, and to do it in a more sustainable way. We have a lot of catching up to do with the rest of Europe in terms of the amount of wood we use in construction, and we need to seize this opportunity without delay. I applaud the work of my own department in establishing the Timber in Construction Steering Group and the role of industry in supporting its work, and I look forward to the imminent publication of the final report, which will be submitted to the government in the coming weeks.

“I’m pleased to announce that one of the key recommendations supports the establishment of a Timber Knowledge Development and Innovation facility as a permanent, cross-sector centre of excellence to support market and product research, development and innovation for industry. I believe this will contribute greatly to the practical advancement of the use of sustainably grown timber in construction in Ireland.”

Imelda Hurley, CEO, Coillte, said, “In the three years since this conference was established, we have moved from spotlighting the opportunity for Ireland to scale up timber in construction to collaboration between government and industry, and, today, to moving the debate from policy to practice.”

Major themes from the Build with Wood conference included:

– Timber: Towards the Next Building Revolution

Demonstrating the Potential for Homegrown in Timber Frame – Coillte SDCC Timber in Construction Housing Project Exemplar Regulatory Update – Developing Guidance for Timber in Ireland Modelling Timber Use and the Carbon Impact

– Decarbonising Construction – What Next for Homegrown Timber Use?

– Timber in Construction Steering Group – Next Steps: Prof. J Owen Lewis, Chair, Timber in Construction Steering Group Supply Chain Representatives Panel,

– Discussion – From Policy to Practice