A few weeks ago, Berlin hosted the 1st TIMBERHAUS Summit, a two-day event dedicated to the future of sustainable construction and renovation with wood in urban environments. Held on 17–18 March 2026 at the Infocenter Berlin TXL, the summit brought together a diverse group of stakeholders to discuss how timber can play a stronger role in the city’s transition toward climate-friendly building practices.
The summit created an important platform in the framework of TIMBERHAUS for dialogue between local and regional actors, combining strategic discussions with hands-on collaboration.
Participants included representatives from public administrations, research institutions, universities, architecture and planning practices, private companies, forestry and timber sector organisations, housing and development actors, as well as members of the TIMBERHAUS consortium. Project partners present included URBASOFIA, Climate-KIC, ETH Zürich, the Danish Technological Institute (DTI) and Waugh Thistleton Architects, alongside additional experts supporting the project’s analytical and co-creation work.
Throughout the summit, attendees took part in expert presentations, thematic exchanges and interactive workshops designed to identify barriers, opportunities and practical solutions for expanding timber construction in Berlin. Sessions focused on the full timber value chain, from sourcing and production to regulation, financing, procurement and implementation. Participants also explored the development and revitalisation of timber construction in the city, reflecting on how existing strengths can be better mobilised.
Several key challenges emerged during the discussions, including limited production capacity, fragmented value chains, complex regulatory and permitting procedures, insufficient funding opportunities, and weak links between education, research and practical industry application. Participants also highlighted gaps in procurement processes that can slow innovation and reduce market uptake.
At the same time, the summit underlined Berlin’s strong potential to become a leader in timber-based urban development. Stakeholders pointed to growing interest in climate-friendly construction, significant local expertise in architecture and engineering, and strong opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration. Standardisation, digitalisation and innovation were also recognised as promising areas for accelerating progress, while wood itself is gaining visibility as a sustainable construction material.
Based on collaborative voting and group discussions, participants identified a set of priority actions for the years ahead. These include strengthening education and training, improving knowledge exchange between academia and practice, simplifying permitting processes, developing targeted funding schemes, supporting local production capacity, and promoting timber construction through public demonstration projects and awareness-raising activities.
The Berlin summit forms part of a broader series of local stakeholder events taking place across TIMBERHAUS partner cities, all contributing to a final roadshow that will present the project’s results and recommendations. Insights gathered in Berlin will directly feed into the next phases of the project and support knowledge exchange between cities facing similar sustainability challenges.
By bringing together expertise from across sectors, the first TIMBERHAUS Stakeholder Summit in Berlin demonstrated that the transition to greener construction is not only a technical challenge, but also a collaborative opportunity where timber can become a key material for the cities of tomorrow.