Built by Nature Prize Logo 2025
Built by Nature Prize

About the prize

The 2025 Built by Nature Prize celebrates excellence in timber building projects which demonstrate alignment with the Principles for Responsible Timber Construction in completed and in-use projects – including new builds, renovations, and significant extensions.

Winning submissions will gain international exposure through numerous promotional platforms; new industry connections and networking opportunities; exposure to new knowledge and featured as an industry thought leader.

 

 

Thank you for visiting. Applications have now closed. 

Shortlisted applicants will be notified in the coming months. 

 

Winners obtain

International Exposure

Projects will be showcased at high-profile events, including Woodrise and UNFCCC COP30, and be featured in a globally distributed documentary film.

Industry Connections

Winners will be celebrated at a special Prize event at the annual Built by Nature Summit in Europe, with further opportunities to connect with our Network Frontrunners.

Knowledge Sharing

Successful entrants will be invited to add their projects to the Built by Nature Knowledge Hub, featured as case studies and participate in an international study tour.

Timings

  • 27 March 2025

    Prize launch

  • 7 April 2025

    Application window opens

  • 8 June 2025

    Application window closes

  • June - August 2025

    Judging period

  • September 2025

    Nominees announced

  • 16 October 2025

    Winners announced

  • November 2025

    Film showing at UNFCCC COP30, Belém

  • November-December 2025

    Video campaign

Eligibility for the Prize

The Prize is open to all completed buildings predominantly made of timber and bio-based materials. Entries can be submitted by anyone involved in the project but must include the full project team and confirmation of application permissions.

Applicants will need to provide detailed explanations for how their building meets some, or all the Built by Nature Principles for Responsible Timber Construction.

Meet the 2025 Judges

Ana Belizário

Commercial Head of Urbem

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal

Global Leader of Climate & Energy at WWF and interim chair of the IUCN Climate Crisis Commission

Gert-Jan Nabuurs

Professor of European forest resources at Wageningen University and senior researcher at Wageningen Environmental Research

Joelle Chen

Head of Sustainability, Asia Pacific for LaSalle

Mae-ling Lokko

Assistant Professor at Yale University’s School of Architecture and Yale's Center for Ecosystems in Architecture

Maureen Whelan

Maureen Whelan

Manager of Multilateral Affairs for the Canadian Forest Service

Kevin McCloud

Architect & Grand Designs Host

Ana Belizário

Commercial Head of Urbem

Ana Belizário is the Commercial Head of Urbem, a company leading a transformation in Brazilian construction, architecture, and real estate markets using mass timber as the primary material for structural systems. Since 2017, she has been managing Urbem’s initiatives focused on urban development enabling increasingly agile, efficient, and sustainable construction projects. With over 15 years of experience in real estate, Ana is an architect and a master’s student at FAU-USP, specialising in wooden structures. A 2024 Built by Nature Prize judge, she believes in the urgency of engaging experts and civil society in combating climate change by reducing carbon emissions from the construction sector.

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal

Global Leader of Climate & Energy at WWF and interim chair of the IUCN Climate Crisis Commission

Manuel Pulgar-Vidal is Global Leader of Climate & Energy at WWF and interim chair of the IUCN Climate Crisis Commission. Formerly Peru’s Minister of the Environment (2011–2016) and COP20 President, he has over 35 years of experience in environmental law and policy. He founded and led the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law and holds board and advisory roles with Forest Trends, SBTi, F20, and others. He is a Race to Zero and Race to Resilience Ambassador and has received honors from France, Germany, Spain, and Peru for his role in advancing global climate and biodiversity governance, including the Paris Agreement.

Gert-Jan Nabuurs

Professor of European forest resources at Wageningen University and senior researcher at Wageningen Environmental Research

Gert-Jan Nabuurs is professor of European forest resources at Wageningen University and senior researcher at Wageningen Environmental Research. His work focuses on forest resource modeling, climate change impacts, and forest management, including the development of the European Forest Information SCENario Model based on 300,000 National Forest Inventory plots. He was coordinating lead author of the IPCC 6th Assessment Report’s Agriculture and Forestry chapter. He also advises the Dutch government on biomass sustainability and leads the Dutch forest climate pilots under the Climate Accord. Nabuurs holds an MSc from Wageningen University and a PhD from the University of East Finland.

Joelle Chen

Head of Sustainability, Asia Pacific for LaSalle

Joelle Chen is Head of Sustainability, Asia Pacific for LaSalle, and was formerly the Head of Sustainability Asia for Lendlease, delivering net zero investment roadmaps for its portfolio, and instrumental in reducing the embodied carbon of new developments through active supplier engagement. She was the first Asia Pacific Head for World Green Building Council and previously headed the Smart Sustainable Cities team at the Singapore Economic Development Board, driving public-private partnerships through innovation platforms. Joelle graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Master of Architecture and a Master of Business Administration from the Singapore Management University.

Mae-ling Lokko

Assistant Professor at Yale University’s School of Architecture and Yale's Center for Ecosystems in Architecture

Mae-ling Lokko, who served as a judge for the 2024 Built by Nature Prize, is an Assistant Professor at Yale University’s School of Architecture and Yale’s Center for Ecosystems in Architecture. As an architectural scientist and designer, her work on agrowaste and biopolymer materials integrates technical, environmental, social and cultural criteria to accelerate upcycling between the global north and south. Lokko is the founder of Willow Technologies, focused on biobased building materials. Along with a global portfolio of several high-profile projects, Lokko holds a Ph.D. and Master of Science in Architectural Science from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a B.A. from Tufts University.

Maureen Whelan

Maureen Whelan

Manager of Multilateral Affairs for the Canadian Forest Service

Maureen Whelan is the Manager of Multilateral Affairs for the Canadian Forest Service. With almost 30 years of experience working in forest policy, including as the first manager of Canada’s GC Wood Program, Maureen currently co-leads the Forest & Climate Leaders Partnership (FCLP) Action Area on Greening Construction with Sustainable Wood.

Kevin McCloud

Architect & Grand Designs Host

Kevin McCloud is best known for the internationally acclaimed series Grand Designs which has been running on Channel 4 for 25 years. It is now shown around the world along with spin off series including Grand Designs: The Streets and Grand Designs: House of the Year. In 2015, Grand Designs was awarded the Bafta for Best Feature and its UK reach is now over 32 million people.

Kevin recently joined forces with Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Mary Portas to challenge the government’s commitment to climate change policies for Channel 4’s The Great Climate Fight. Kevin’s other TV work includes Man-Made Home, Kevin’s Supersized Salvage and Kevin McCloud’s Escape To The Wild. He wrote and presented his four-part Grand Tour of Europe and spent two and a half weeks in Dharavi for Slumming It, part of C4’s 2010 India season.

Kevin has written several books on design and champions sustainable development, context, the historic environment, and ecological construction. He is an Honorary Fellow of Cardiff University, the RIBA and the Institute off Chartered Foresters. He is also a Fellow of WWF – UK. He was awarded an MBE in 2014 for his services to architecture and sustainability.

Important information

FAQs

  1. What is the Built by Nature (BbN) 2025 Prize? The BbN 2025 Prize is a global award recognising exemplary real-world applications of the Principles for Responsible Timber Construction in predominantly timber buildings. It celebrates excellence in new builds, renovations, and significant extensions that align with these principles.
  2. Who can apply for the BbN 2025 Prize? The Prize is open to all completed buildings predominantly made of timber and bio-based materials. Entries can be submitted by anyone involved in the project, but must include the full project team and confirmation of application permissions. Each organisation may submit up to three buildings.
  3. What are the Principles for Responsible Timber Construction? Developed by Built by Nature in collaboration with the Forest and Climate Leaders Partnership (FCLP), Bauhaus Earth, and other stakeholders, the Principles establish a common framework of requirements to ensure the timber building industry can thrive sustainably. They guide the judging criteria for the Prize.
  4. When is the application period for the BbN 2025 Prize? Applications open at 09:00 CET on April 7, 2025, and close at 23:59 CET on June 8, 2025.
  5. How will the submissions be judged? A panel of international experts from across the construction value chain will judge submissions based on their alignment with the Principles for Responsible Timber Construction. The judging process includes initial assessment and expert review.
  6. What are the benefits of winning the BbN 2025 Prize? Winning projects will gain international exposure through high-profile events, a documentary film premiered at the UNFCCC COP30, participation in an international study tour, and features on the Built by Nature Knowledge Hub. Winners will also have opportunities for networking and establishing new industry connections.
  7. When will the winners be announced? Nominees will be announced in September 2025, and the winners will be revealed at the annual Built by Nature Summit in October 2025.
  8. Can projects that only meet some of the Principles still apply? Yes, while winners will likely need to meet every criterion of the Principles, the Prize encourages entries from projects that may only meet one or two criteria. The aim is to celebrate and promote a wide range of exemplary timber construction projects.
  9. What language should the applications be submitted in? English is the preferred language for applications. Translation services will be provided if required, upon request (via prize@builtbn.org). This request must be made at least two weeks before the closure of the application window.
  10. What information is required in the application form? The application form requires detailed information about the project, including contact information, general project details, project overview, construction details, alignment with the Principles for Responsible Timber Construction, and additional supporting documents.
  11. What specific project details need to be provided? Applicants need to provide information such as project name, location, type, year of completion, status, building use, key metrics (e.g., total land parcel area, total floor area, number of floors, total project cost), and details about the project team.
  12. What construction details are required? Applicants must specify primary construction techniques, structural materials, insulation materials, and land use. Percentages should be indicated if multiple techniques or materials are used.
  13. How should alignment with the Principles for Responsible Timber Construction be demonstrated? Applicants need to provide detailed explanations for each of the five Principles, including existing buildings and land optimisation, whole life carbon and resource efficiency, sustainable sourcing, circularity, and contributions to a timber bioeconomy.
  14. Are there any specific metrics or assessments required? Yes, applicants should include metrics such as embodied carbon, fossil carbon footprint, biogenic carbon, and total timber volume used. They should also specify if assessments like Whole Life Carbon have been conducted and provide details on methodologies and tools used.
  15. Can additional supporting documents be included? Yes, as part of the application there is facility for applicants to upload optional supporting documents such as research findings, technical reports, media coverage, and environmental impact assessments.
  16. Is there a consent and declaration section? Yes, applicants must agree to the Declaration and Consent Agreement of the Prize, endorse the Principles for Responsible Timber Construction, and accept the GDPR data processing policy.
  17. Will the Prize form remember my details so I can revisit my application? Yes. As long as you complete the application on the same hardware (phone, tablet, laptop) the form will save and remember your previous completed answers. However we recommend saving a separate copy of your answers on your own personal drive to ensure you do not lose any responses.
  18. Who will be judging the applications? A panel of international experts will evaluate the submissions based on alignment with the Principles of Responsible Timber Construction. To date, we can confirm the participation of:
    1. Manuel Pulgar-Vidal, Global Leader of Climate & Energy at WWF and Interim Chair of the IUCN Climate Crisis Commission; and
    2. Ana Belizário, Sales and Business Development Director of Brazilian mass timber manufacturer Urbem, who judged the first BbN Prize in 2024.

We look forward to announcing the final judging panel once confirmed.

Eligibility Criteria

  • Completed and in-use buildings predominantly made of timber and bio-based materials
  • Can be submitted by anyone involved in the project
  • Max. 3 buildings per organisation

Criteria for Judging

1a. Existing buildings life extension A high-scoring project will have maximised the retention and adaptation of existing structures, minimised demolition, and effectively used timber, biobased, and secondary materials to extend the building’s lifespan while enhancing its functionality and sustainability.

1b. Optimising land use and resource efficiency A high-scoring project will have been built on a previously developed or brownfield site, minimising environmental disturbance, and demonstrating efficient material use, low-impact construction methods (e.g., prefabrication, minimal excavation), and strategies to reduce waste and resource consumption throughout the building’s lifecycle.

2. Whole life cycle Projects that demonstrate clear, quantifiable efforts to minimise Whole Life Carbon emissions while optimising material efficiency, operational performance, and lifecycle sustainability score highest in this category.

3. Sustainable sourcing High-scoring projects demonstrate a commitment to responsible forestry, ensuring timber sourcing is legal, transparent, and benefits ecosystems and communities.

4. Circularity A high-scoring project on this criterion minimises waste, prioritises long-term material efficiency, and ensures timber elements can be reused beyond their first lifecycle.

5. Contribution to a timber bioeconomy A project that drives meaningful progress in timber construction by overcoming barriers, contributing to policy development, and sharing knowledge is considered a high performer on this criterion.

Selection and Evaluation Process

An international panel of assessors will first evaluate submissions against the prize criteria and their alignment with the Principles of Responsible Timber Construction. Shortlisted entries will then be reviewed by a distinguished group of globally recognised judges, who will select the winners based on how strongly they reflect these criteria and principles.

Applications open at 09:00 CET on April 7, 2025, and close at 23:59 CET on June 8, 2025.

 

 

If your question isn’t addressed in our FAQ’S section, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.

The Built by Nature Prize 2024

In 2024, Built by Nature launched the world’s first awards programme focused on bio-based construction materials, receiving 297 applications in total, with half coming from Africa, Asia and the Americas.

Winners and Finalists 2024