Healthy Living Timber | Timber in the City 3: Opportunities for Architecture and Urbanism

Healthy Living Timber explores some of the benefits and trappings of working with mass timber construction from the perspective of three unique practitioners. This presentation, part of Parsons’ School of Design’s Timber in the City conference, begins with Bill Browning of Terrapin Bright Green discussing how and why designers can work to bring the inherent qualities of nature into the built environment through the utilization of timber and other ‘living’ materials. Merritt Bucholz of Bucholz McEvoy Architects walks us through some of humanity’s history of building with timber structures and connects those applications to some similar modern techniques. And HML’s own Alison Mears examines human health risks and concerns to look out for when working with mass timber and as the industry grows.

The presentation concludes with a conversation and Q&A with the speakers, moderated by Mark Gardner, Parsons School of Design. Healthy Living Timber inspires us to question how we design in a way that considers both human health and well-being, environmental sustainability, and reconnecting the built environment with nature.