LIFE projects champion wood for greener, more beautiful and affordable homes

Modern timber construction can significantly reduce the carbon footprint of buildings compared to conventional materials, such as concrete and steel, whose energy‑intensive production contributes to a large share of the sector’s emissions. Wood sequesters carbon throughout its life cycle – storing around one tonne of carbon per cubic metre used – and avoids an additional 1.1-1.5 tonnes of emissions when substituting for concrete or steel.  

Despite wood’s green credentials, scaling up timber construction depends on more than the material itself – it requires value chains and a trained workforce that understands its properties, building techniques and appropriate applications. 

LIFE WOOD for Future is addressing this knowledge gap by supporting universities, vocational schools and training centres. The project develops wood-based curricula for architects, engineers and technicians, as well as practical pathways for construction workers and local SMEs to integrate wood into design and construction. By linking academic knowledge with hands-on training, the LIFE project demonstrates how wood-based buildings can be designed and built safely, efficiently and sustainably, increasing the likelihood of greater adoption. 

The project also supports the development of local supply chains to support sustainable timber use. In Granada, Spain, for example, the project helped the local administration develop a manual for poplar nursery certification, enabling producers and builders to meet quality and traceability standards, ensuring the wood produced can be used in construction projects responsibly.  

Elsewhere, LIFE BE-WoodEN promotes the use of wood in social housing and residential buildings while advancing the New European Bauhaus (NEB) vision for sustainable, inclusive and beautiful living environments. Through training, research and stakeholder engagement, the project helps professionals (architects, engineers, urban planners, agronomists and social innovators) overcome technical, regulatory and cultural barriers, based on the project’s research and validated building solutions. So far, nearly 9 880 professional credits have been issued through the project’s open-access training. Additional educational materials are also available for wider use, including webinars, NEBinars and podcasts on platforms such as Spotify. 

In addition, the LIFE project analysed local wood supply chains in Italy to identify solutions to overcome technical and cultural barriers to their promotion, using a participatory approach that involved several stakeholders. For instance, the project supported a team of young architects, engineers, craftsmen, designers, social and cultural innovators, and urban planners to effectively redesign the shared spaces in a 19-apartment social housing complex for elderly residents in Liguria, demonstrating timber’s practical and social value. 

Projects like LIFE BE‑WoodEN and LIFE WOOD for Future showcase how wood-based construction can deliver greener, more affordable housing across. By enabling skilled professionals, local value chains and practical applications, these projects have equipped the right stakeholders to scale up timber use across the EU. Backed by the European Green Deal, Renovation Wave Strategy, Biodiversity Strategy, New European Bauhaus principles and EU Affordable Housing Plan, the foundations are now in place for more timber-based housing across Europe.