BbN and CNCA bring cities together to advance timber and biobased construction
Built by Nature partnered with the Carbon Neutral Cities Alliance (CNCA) to convene leading cities, such as Amsterdam, Glasgow, Nantes, Barcelona, Greater Manchester, Bordeaux, Helsinki, and Stockholm, for two days of focused exchange on how to scale biobased construction.
Day 1 — Workshops, exchange and seeing it in practice
We started with hands-on workshops and open conversations focused on the real challenges cities face when trying to deliver timber and biobased construction. Cities had the opportunity to share where they are making progress and where they’re still running into barriers.
Discussions dug into:
- How cities are embedding timber and biobased requirements into procurement in practice;
- The challenge of defining carbon and material criteria that are both ambitious and deliverable;
- How to unlock supply chains and build market confidence;
- What it takes to move from ambition to a credible pipeline of projects.
In the afternoon, we moved out to IJburg to see what this looks like on the ground:
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De Warren — a pioneering, resident-led timber housing cooperative. We were given a full building tour, alongside a generous and insightful deep dive from Natrufied Architecture into the design, material choices, and realities of delivery.
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Centrumeiland (Tonko Architecten x Ymere) — a large-scale housing development exploring how timber can be delivered within social housing at scale, balancing affordability, repeatability, and performance.
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Torteltuin — another Natrufied project, offering a glimpse into how smaller, community-led developments are continuing to push innovation in biobased housing.
Natrufied Architecture, Tonko Architecten, Ymere hosted us openly, sharing not just successes, but the complexities behind these projects.
Day 2 — Policy, leadership and city-to-city learning (MRA)
On day two, we reconvened at the Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam (MRA) for a deeper dive into the policy side.
The day opened with an inspiring session from the City of Amsterdam and MRA, sharing their work to drive timber construction at scale, including the ambition to reach 20% of all new developments in the region in timber and biobased materials.
This set the stage for a broader exchange, with cities presenting their own approaches, policies, and progress—offering a rare opportunity to compare:
- Different policy levers and regulatory approaches;
- How targets are being translated into tender requirements and delivery frameworks;
- The varying speeds—and barriers—cities are experiencing in implementation.
What stood out was the value of this kind of exchange: learning directly from peers, grounded in real policies and real projects.
Read more about the the MRA Timber Construction Pact
What we learned
1. Procurement is one of the most powerful levers cities have: From Barcelona to Amsterdam, it’s clear that embedding carbon and material requirements into tenders is where policy becomes real. But doing this well means balancing ambition with deliverability and giving the market clarity.
2. The challenge lies in implementation at scale: Cities are setting bold targets (like the Amsterdam Metropolitan Region’s ambition for 20% timber and biobased construction), but translating these into consistent pipelines of projects remains a major hurdle.
3. Supply chains and market confidence are still fragile: Without predictable demand and clear signals from cities, scaling timber construction remains difficult. Stronger alignment between public and private actors, highlighted through the Timber Pact, is critical.
4. Peer learning accelerates progress: What stood out most was the value of cities learning directly from each other by sharing real policies, projects, and barriers. From Glasgow’s embodied carbon framework to Nantes’ circular construction approach and Stockholm’s large-scale timber developments, these exchanges are helping cities move faster.
5. Moving from pilots to scale requires targeted support: Cities know what needs to happen, but need the right tools, funding structures, and risk-sharing mechanisms to scale. This is exactly where the new Biobased Cities Challenge Fund aims to play a role.
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Looking ahead
We thank our partners at CNCA for shaping and co-hosting this with us, and to all speakers and city representatives who contributed so openly. This marks the first step in a longer-term collaboration between Built by Nature and CNCA
Now the real work continues—putting the Principles into practice.
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