This course focuses on developing a comprehensive understanding of the entire timber transformation chain, from forest management to advanced wood research. Through the design of five interconnected programs, students will address the principles of circular construction, sustainability, and innovation, while exploring the relationship between large-scale industrial processes and small-scale housing solutions. Projects will integrate both functional and habitational components, creating a holistic system that spans from macro to micro scales.
Students will work in five groups, each focusing on a specific stage of the timber transformation process. There will be 4 groups of 3, and 1 group of 4. Each program will include functional industrial spaces, offices, and temporary residential units for staff and visitors, fostering an interconnected system of work, research, and living.
// Program
A facility to oversee sustainable forest management, equipped with storage for tools, maintenance workshops, and parking for vehicles.
Site: Close to Mon Natura Pirineus (1.550 m altitude)
Climate: Highlands / Hemiboreal
A processing facility for converting raw logs into sawn timber (mother boards), with zones for storage, machinery, and transportation logistics.
Site: Close to Centre de Ciencia y Tecnología Forestal de Catalunya CTFC, in Solsona (700 m above sea level)
Climate: Temperate Oceanic
A production hub for cross-laminated timber (CLT), including workshops, machinery spaces, and storage for finished panels.
Site: Close to Centre de Ciencia y Tecnología Forestal de Catalunya CTFC, in Solsona (700 m above sea level)
Climate: Temperate Oceanic
A facility for the prefabrication of timber-based construction systems and components, incorporating assembly areas and quality control labs.
From processed material (mother board) to qualified material (e.g. furniture or sports gear)
Site: Industrial Park – San Adriá del Besós (Barcelona)
Climate: Mediterranean
A research and innovation facility dedicated to developing advanced timber products and technologies, with high-tech laboratories, testing areas, and collaborative workspaces.
Site: Industrial Park – San Adriá del Besós (Barcelona)
Climate: Mediterranean
Manifesto From the Pyrenees to Barcelona, the journey wood takes can become a means to bridge the knowledge gap between forests and the timber industry. Solsona, located in the middle of this journey, housing our timber sawmill, can become a place of community and respect for these forests, while engaging people with what happens at … Read more
MISSION STATEMENT BIOBASE(D) is a forest management and research center that serves as the first link in the timber transformation chain. Its mission is to transform the threat of forest fires into an opportunity through a threefold strategy: implementing sustainable forest management practices to enhance resilience, fostering a forest-based bioeconomy that adds value to timber … Read more
The Final Step in Timber Transformation chain: The Nest Timber Research Center is the last stage in the timber process, where materials are questioned, tested, and developed further. The building spans 8,142 sqm, housing public functions, workspaces and residential units. The nine-story building features a highly permeable ground floor, integrating public interfaces like sculpture gardens … Read more
boutique /buːˈtiːk/ small, sophisticated, or fashionable business or establishment. The CLT Factory is a part of the course that focuses on developing a comprehensive understanding of the Entire timber transformation chain, Through the design of five interconnected programs, students will address the principles of circular construction, sustainability, and innovation, while exploring the relationship between large-scale … Read more
Objective The goal of this module was to take the final decisions in order to match the building design to the integrated facilities that optimize the circular economy in timber production, balancing large-scale industrial processes with small-scale habitational solutions and an holistic urban system. Chain of production Timber V4ult is the fourth in a chain … Read more
