On 27-28 November, the first local summit, “Linking Heritage and Carbon Neutrality for Sustainable Futures”, took place in Siena. The event was organized by the Comune di Siena in collaboration with URBASOFIA, Climate-KIC, and ETH Zurich, within the framework of the TIMBERHAUS project.
The summit brought together representatives from the TIMBERHAUS project partnership (Danish Technological Institute, Tegel Projekt GmbH, Senatsverwaltung für Stadtentwicklung, Bauen und Wohnen,Waugh Thistleton Architects) alongside local and regional actors including the CONFINDUSTRIA Settore Legno and LAM AMBIENTE Company, Ordine degli Architetti di Siena, Provincia di Siena, Università di Siena, Santa Chiara FAB LAB UNISI, Consorzio Forestale, Associazione Le Mura di Siena, Collegio dei Periti Agrari di Siena and Imperiale Contrada della Giraffa. The two days included presentations, site visits, interactive sessions and strategy games.
The interactive session organized by URBASOFIA highlighted both barriers and local strengths that shape the timber construction in Siena:
• Opportunities: existing forests in Tuscany (mainly hardwoods), local expertise in architecture and craftsmanship, hardwood potential for finishes and renovations, fast construction times, good seismic performance, public buildings as pilots, growing interest from young professionals in green construction.
• Challenges: limited use of wood in construction, limited availability of structural timber, lack of specialised companies and skilled workforce, cultural preferences for conventional materials, regulatory complexity (especially fire and seismic rules), higher costs due to external expertise, fragmented forest management and limited circular-economy practices.
The discussions emphasized, among other points, the need for policy and technical training, the updating of regulations and adequate legislation, enhanced communication, the development of regional networks of professional expertise and public institutions to achieve economies of scale, and the promotion of educational activities within learning environments. Targeted incentives were also identified as essential to foster the broader adoption of sustainable wood construction, in alignment with Siena’s heritage, climate objectives, green strategy (bio-economy), and integration with existing municipal sustainable building initiatives.
The event was held shortly after an insightful and inspiring TIMBERHAUS General Assembly, during which all partners met to review and discuss project progress.
All of this was possible thanks to Siena Municipality, for the excellent organisation and hosting of both events, as well as to all local and regional institutions and stakeholders who joined the summit.
