The IMPACTT project: Bridging the Gap between Construction and Forestry
About IMPACTT
The use of timber in construction brings many benefits. Trees absorb carbon as they grow, and when sourced from sustainably managed forests, wood products serve as a long-term carbon sink. Timber design also provides biophilic benefits, fostering a human connection with nature and enhancing our health and wellbeing.
However, when specifying and using timber in construction, how much do developers, architects, engineers, contractors and the end-users of a building know about the impact it has on the environment–in particular on the forests in which it is grown?
The IMPACTT project, which stands for Innovative Mapping and Processes to Advance Construction Timber Transparency, aims to address this question, promoting the use of timber in construction and bridging the gap between construction and forestry.
The IMPACTT project started in September 2023 and concluded in February 2025.
To bridge the gap between construction and forestry, the project focused on two key areas:
1: Addressing Knowledge Gaps
We conducted a survey of construction sector practitioners to assess their level of awareness and misconceptions about sustainable forest management and timber sourcing. These misconceptions and knowledge gaps are examined and clarified in the report available to download.
Output 1: Report addressing the Knowledge Gaps and Misconceptions on Forestry and Timber Sourcing.
2: Mapping Timber Supply Chains
We traced the supply chains of ten timber projects across the UK, the Netherlands, and Belgium. These journeys are presented as interactive Supply Chain Maps, illustrating the path of wood from forests to buildings.
Output 2: Supply Chain Maps of 10 timber projects.
Supply Chain Maps of timber buildings
We selected buildings based on a diverse range of factors, ensuring a broad representation of sourcing, materials, and building types. These include:
- Building types: Commercial, public, and educational buildings.
- Geographic diversity: the UK, the Netherlands, and Belgium
- Sourcing origins: Home-grown timber and imported timber
- Material variety: CLT (Cross-Laminated Timber), LVL (Laminated Veneer Lumber), Glulam (Glue-Laminated Timber)
Click on each ‘box’ on the PDF below to see the supply chain map for the project. Or you can use the direct links below.
- The National Manufacturing Institute (NMIS),Glasgow
- The Catkin Centre and Sunflower House at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool
- The Gen Zero prototype at NMITE CATT centre, Hereford
- The Northstowe Education Campus, Cambridgeshire
- Hope Street, Southhampton
- Paradise, London
- The Black and White Building, London
- Mediavaert, Netherlands
- The Zorgcampus Sint-Jozef, Belgium
- t Centrum, Belgium
Case studies
Final report
With thanks to our funders
Project team
