SUSTAINABLE wood-based solutions provider Stora Enso is hosting a webinar discussing the benefits of wooden schools this week.

Taking place on 29 April 2021 at 4 pm, the one-hour seminar will explore the need for more educational facilities in the UK, and how this new wave can benefit from the growing timber construction industry.

The webinar will explore the benefits but also some of the challenges related to the growing use of wood as a construction material, such as the need for building awareness, competence and wood-based experiences as well as discussions around costs and collaborations.

The panel will discuss learnings from a successful, large-scale wooden school project, Northstowe Learning Community in Cambridgeshire, UK, a 15,000-m2 project that utilised cross laminated timber (CLT) to meet sustainability targets and provide an inspiring and healthy space for students.

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Moderated by Fred Mills, construction industry influencer and co-founder of The B1M, the world's largest and most subscribed-to video channel for construction, the webinar will include expert panelists from: Northstowe Learning Community; the Cambridge Meridian Academies Trust; creative architectural practice, Frank Shaw Associates; leading UK construction and infrastructure company, Kier; timber construction specialist, EURBAN; and Stora Enso.

Fred Mills, The B1M, commented: “This is a critically important subject to be discussing, at a critically important time. Our relentless use of conventional materials like steel and concrete is partly responsible for the climate emergency facing our planet. Responsibly sourced timber is a hugely more sustainable building material that would dramatically reduce our impact on the environment if it were adopted more widely.

“Our industry also has the power to shape people's lives and nowhere is that more important than in our schools, where we shape our children in the formative years of their lives. Building with timber can create fantastic spaces for learning that are proven to increase our wellbeing. I can't wait to discuss all of these issues and more with this world class panel of experts.”

To register for the free event, click here.

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