Specifying timber for healthy buildings

The impact our buildings have on how we work, heal, learn and rest is highly significant, whether it is productivity in offices, patient recovery, student performance, or our own comfort at home – all are influenced by the indoor environment and the design, products and systems used to create and furnish our buildings.

Modern construction has seen a rise in the use of natural materials, including timber. This Wood Information Sheet (WIS) looks at the increasing evidence base that underpins the use of timber in construction, especially in interiors, where people will interact with materials either directly by visual or haptic senses, or indirectly through smell, air quality, humidity buffering and thermal comfort.

This WIS is an overview of the subject with signposts to more detailed sources that are listed at the end.

Contents:

• Biophilia and the connection to nature
• Materials and indoor air quality
• Regulations and certification
• Perceptions of wooden surfaces and ‘wood preference’
• Timber specification

For queries about this technical document, please get in touch with its authors via BM TRADA’s Technical Helpline on +44 (0)1494 569601 or email timberadvice@bmtrada.com.

A paper/digital copy of this Wood Information Sheet is available in the BM TRADA Bookshop, which also hosts additional specialist timber publications.