14 March, 2024
Timber Forward Italy: the network of key stakeholders in the timber construction sector is established
MILANO March 14. On 8 February, at MIND - Milano Innovation District, the Timber Forward Italia project was presented to the main stakeholders within the timber construction sector, with the aim of facilitating collaboration, knowledge sharing and mutual support between all players in the supply chain.
The project, which is currently in its second phase, sees the involvement of Green Building Council Italia, in collaboration with its partner Lendlease - a global leader in real estate and specialised in large-scale urban redevelopment projects - and other authoritative partners at an international level.
The first phase 'Perception of Timber - Accelerating Change at MIND', which ended in February 2023, aimed to develop actions involving different actors to overcome perceived barriers to the use of timber in construction. Lendlease's Milano Innovation District (MIND) was the ideal platform to engage key decision-makers active in the Milanese, Italian and European context in co-creation activities to demonstrate that barriers can be overcome through collective and coordinated action.
"The Timber Forward project represents an extraordinary opportunity, strongly promoted by the Green Building Council Italy, together with Lendlease. It is a confirmation of the Association's commitment to promoting concrete tools and networking initiatives. We intend to orient society and the construction sector towards practices and strategies capable of increasingly rediscovering the use of bio-based materials, such as wood, for buildings that are inclusive and oriented towards the wellbeing of people and the planet"
confirms Fabrizio Capaccioli, President of GBC Italia.
The initiative is developed with the mission of financing actions dedicated to accelerating the adoption of bio-based materials, and wood in particular, in the construction sector and at European level.
During this year, the Timber Forward Italy project will pursue the following objectives
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Creation of an aggregation platform bringing together the main relevant stakeholders to address the need for knowledge exchange and collaboration;
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Acknowledgement of an active role to all stakeholders in the supply chain;
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Promotion of the growth of local timber industries;
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Development of shared proposals for legislative and regulatory provisions;
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Supporting the implementation of circular strategies related to bio-based materials.
Timber Forward Italy aims to drive a positive transformation in the construction sector at different territorial levels, defining an authoritative context - of subjects, best practices, guidelines, standards and regulations - to which the market can refer in order to identify innovative approaches and strategies useful for accelerating the ecological transition and promoting timber construction as a sustainable and viable solution for the achievement of the commitments undertaken also by Italy at international level.
In order to support the spread of wood and accelerate its adoption, the project aims to create a network that brings together the main stakeholders - developers, planners, building owners, investors, insurers and local administrations - to promote synergetic collaboration and sharing of knowledge and innovation, fostering the growth of the timber construction market and improving the climate impact of the entire building sector.
The network also envisages the active involvement of local administrations to encourage the use of timber in public projects, including through targeted policies and incentives.
Nadia Boschi, Head of Sustainability Italy & Continental Europe at Lendlease commented:
"Lendlease's path towards Net Zero - with no offsets - by 2040 requires a shift in the industry towards a low emission future. Build by Nature and GBC Italy's 'Timber Forward Italy' initiative is fully in line with the construction industry's commitment to innovation and Goal 3 emissions reduction."