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Annual Summit

The Built by Nature Summit is a unique annual gathering designed to bring together the key actors in the timber and biobased materials movement.

The leading global summit for the transformation of the built environment through biobased building.

 

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Housing the World, without Costing the Earth

The Built by Nature Summit 2026 will focus on one of the defining challenges of our time: how to deliver housing at scale while staying within planetary boundaries.

 

Programme

Mon 5 October — Conference

13:30–17:30 – Innovation Lab
Interactive sessions with ~100 Built by Nature frontrunners, focused on:

  • Co-shaping our 2027 innovation agenda
  • Sharing knowledge and showcasing leading work
  • Building new collaborations across the network

 

18:00-20:30 – Plenary & Keynotes
A high-level gathering of ~200 leaders, featuring:

  • Keynotes from senior government leaders shaping the housing and bioeconomy agendas
  • Strategic perspectives from Built by Nature and partners
  • International networking

 

Tue 6 October — Biobased City Tours

10:00–15:00 – A curated programme of guided site visits across Barcelona, exploring:

  • Social and affordable housing
  • Commercial buildings
  • Public and civic buildings
  • CLT manufacturer

Each tour includes visits to multiple projects, with insights from the teams behind them, offering practical lessons on delivering biobased construction at scale.

Barcelona 2026

Barcelona sits at the centre of Europe’s housing debate, making it a powerful setting for this year’s Summit. Momentum is building at every level, from Spain’s €7bn affordable housing plan to Barcelona’s leadership of the Mayors for Housing alliance and the EU’s advancing Affordable Housing Alliance, while the city’s designation as World Capital of Architecture 2026 and alignment with World Architecture Day underline its global relevance. At the same time, Barcelona is a recognised hub for innovative timber and biobased construction. This convergence of policy ambition and built innovation creates the ideal conditions to bring together the leaders shaping the future of housing.

The 2026 Summit is co-organised with Mass Madera, Built by Nature’s Spanish network hosted by the the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC), a global leader in innovative timber construction.

 

Leading Conversations

The conference day brings together senior leaders and innovators for sharp keynotes, focused debates, and grounded project insights that cut through the noise. It’s a concise, high‑level forum designed to clarify where the sector is heading, surface practical opportunities, and build the connections needed to drive responsible timber and biobased construction forward.

Biobased City Tour

The Biobased City Tour offers exclusive access to standout timber and hybrid projects, guided by the practitioners who delivered them. Through a curated sequence of visits, participants see biobased construction in action, gain practical insight into real‑world solutions, and connect with peers exploring similar approaches. It’s an immersive, on‑the‑ground experience that makes the transition to biobased building tangible.

Previous Editions

London 2025
Held at Paradise SE11, London 2025 brought together an international audience for high‑level discussion and project insights. The edition featured the Built by Nature Prize 2025, recognising outstanding timber building projects across new builds, renovations, and major extensions, with winners gaining international visibility and industry connections.

2025 Programme

See the 2025 prize winners 

 

 

Amsterdam 2023 & 2024
Both editions took place at the Zuiderkerk in Amsterdam. In 2024, Built by Nature launched the world’s first awards programme focused on biobased construction materials, receiving 297 submissions from around the globe. Fifteen finalists stood out for their real‑world applicability, manufacturability, and positive carbon, nature, and social impacts.

See the 2024 prize winners 

 

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