In an excerpt from her new book, Mattaforma founder and AZURE Human/Nature speaker Lindsey Wikstrom explores a nascent architectural revolution.

By now, it’s a well-known fact: The built environment and the concrete industry account for some 40 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions. Yet, while the urgency of re-thinking our buildings is obvious, transforming global practices is no simple feat. While a welcome and much-touted transition towards mass timber design is gradually gaining ground, myriad challenges persist. What kinds of building typologies and wood technologies are best suited to support social and environmental sustainability? How do global supply chains impact the carbon costs of mass timber? What kind of forest management techniques should we adopt? These are just some of the questions at the heart of Lindsey Wikstrom’s landmark new book — excerpted below — Designing the Forest and Other Mass Timber Futures.

A founding partner of New York-based architecture practice Mattaforma, Wikstrom will also lead a workshop at this year’s inaugural AZURE Human/Nature Conference, taking place in downtown Toronto on October 24-25. Tickets are available now!

 

The article "Designing the Forest: The Future of Mass Timber" by Lindsey Wikstrom discusses the potential of mass timber as a sustainable building material that can address climate change. It highlights its environmental benefits, such as carbon sequestration, and explores its use in creating biophilic designs that connect urban environments to nature. The piece emphasizes the need for innovation in forestry practices, building techniques, and architectural design to fully realize the potential of mass timber in shaping the future of sustainable cities.