03 December, 2024
Built by Nature Funds Project Comparing Mass Timber Construction with Concrete in Multistorey Development in Amstelveen
AMSTERDAM, December 3. To complement existing research showing that timber is less carbon intensive to produce and use in construction relative to traditional materials, Built by Nature is pleased to announce an €85,000 grant towards a study comparing the performance of mass timber versus concrete within a large-scale multistorey residential development site in Amstelveen, the Netherlands.
The project, led by property developer Prosper Vitae in partnership with Finch Buildings, LEVS Architects, TU Delft, and the AMS Institute, will design two residential building prototypes – one concrete, one mass timber – for a comprehensive study providing direct comparisons between the two. The research will generate comparative data on carbon emissions, design quality, and costs for a traditional concrete-based structure and a mass timber alternative.
The results are set to inform decision-making for the financial feasibility of timber construction on the project site and potentially inspire city-scale biobased material adoption in the broader 26-hectare neighborhood slated for future development. As the site owner, Prosper Vitae views this initiative as an opportunity to apply sustainability principles directly to project design and execution, while promoting biobased construction in both commercial and public sector residential projects.
The project consortium aims to accelerate the use of mass timber in large-scale residential developments in the Netherlands and influence the future of biobased urban development across Dutch cities by demonstrating the environmental and design benefits of timber over traditional materials.
The City of Amstelveen, a co-funder of the initiative, is interested in leveraging insights from the project to inform future biobased building policies and neighborhood development strategies and sees the opportunity to share practical applications of sustainable design at-scale with larger urban renewal projects, such as the Mandelabuurt in Amsterdam.
“We’re optimistic that the comprehensive, comparative cross-learning that this study will deliver for Dutch cities could help lead the way for nationwide adoption of mass timber in urban housing projects”, says Built by Nature CEO, Paul King. “Through the analysis of the project’s data directly comparing the performance of mass timber on multistorey residential buildings, Built by Nature anticipates a further bolstering of the growing business case for the use of biobased materials.”
Tuur Pluijmen from Prosper Vitae Project Development says “We believe this project is a vital step in uncovering the insights needed to assess the financial feasibility and decision-making process for timber in large-scale residential developments. By directly comparing timber and traditional construction under identical design parameters, we aim to pinpoint and address the key barriers to adopting timber and further pave the way for its broader implementation."
With the project expected to generate relevant knowledge and biobased building expertise upon completion by July 2025, TU Delft and the AMS Institute are collaborating with the project teams to integrate the findings into their engineering and architecture programmes, ensuring that the insights produced will help address competency gaps within the mass timber and biobased construction sector and contribute to long-term industry upskilling.