Using Wood Well

Interactive tools for analysing timber usage, material composition, and reuse potential in construction projects.

Project Overview

The Using Wood Well (UWW) initiative investigates how timber is used in construction, with the aim of improving material efficiency and supporting circular economy principles. The project analyses building data at multiple scales — from whole-building timber volumes to frame-level material composition and reuse potential.

Level 1 examines Wood Usage Intensity (WUI) across 695 timber building projects from 25 countries, comparing sectors, structural types, building sizes, and storey counts. Level 2 provides granular frame-level analysis of 56 projects, measuring Use Renewal Rate (URR) and bio-based material content. Supporting tools cover material productivity, market data, and service life references.

Level 1 — General Building Analysis

L1 Data Explorer

Interactive scatter plot and box plot for exploring WUI across 695 timber building projects. Filter by sector, storeys, area range, and colour by storey band, sector, material type, and more.

Level 1

Level 2 — Structural Frame Analysis

L2 URR Explorer

Scatter plot and box plot for frame-level analysis of 56 projects. Explore Use Renewal Rate (URR), BIO volume percentage, and Wood Usage Intensity at frame and floor level.

Level 2

Level 3 - Whole Building Example Analysis

L3 Worked Example — Black & White

A full building profile of The Black & White Building: project description, WUI/URR results, material breakdown, and carbon performance from its LCA report.

Level 3

Materials

Material Data Charts

Charts exploring material productivity, harvest age relationships, and market share distributions across construction material types.

Materials

Material Lifespan

Analysis tool for material lifecycle data, including density references and expected service life of construction materials.

Materials