Despite the urgent environmental imperative for the construction sector to use sustainable materials, there are currently very few courses in the UK offering specialist training in building with timber.

In September 2021, London Metropolitan University will launch a new MSc Sustainable Timber Building course to address this need. The MSc will be the only course of its kind in London.

Students will acquire an holistic understanding of the structure of wood and how timber can be processed and detailed. Critically, they will interrogate and harness the efficiencies associated with design for manufacture and assembly and disassembly, allowing for timber re-use. Students will graduate with specialist design skills, an understanding of the characteristic properties of timber, and knowledge of industrial processing and business management. They will have the knowledge and confidence to design with timber across multiple building scales and will be ready to apply their skills in industry. Our graduates will galvanise the construction sector to accelerate action on sustainability and consolidate the capital’s reputation as a global centre for architectural design and timber engineering.

We encourage applicants with a range of experience: recent graduates in architecture, engineering, product design, as well as individuals with practical experience in manufacturing, carpentry, forestry and timber self-build. This diversity will provide a depth of experience that will spark debate, cross-pollination of ideas and innovation needed to transform building practice.

At the end of this course students will be able to:

  • choose appropriate timber species for use in the built environment based on an evaluation of wood properties, sustainable silviculture and timber supply chains;
  • compare the environmental properties of various timber products and compare appropriate manufacturing processes;
  • differentiate between engineered timber typologies, compare and contrast methods of timber construction and evaluate their appropriateness to a given site context and/or design brief;
  • use a range of visual, written and verbal techniques to communicate timber-based architectural designs and concepts to clients, planners and the public;
  • identify and develop a core research question using a wide range of information sources in the field of timber construction that is explained through an innovative timber design thesis which should demonstrate a critical awareness of sustainable design principles and both traditional and emergent materials and technologies;
  • apply legal and regulatory requirements to achieve inclusive and sustainable timber buildings using building regulations, health and safety, quality assurance and control systems;
  • critically evaluate theoretical approaches and form considered judgments relevant to the spatial, aesthetic, technical and social qualities of a sustainable timber-based design within the scope and scale of wider development;
  • appraise solid and engineered timber properties and present findings in technical and costing reports;
  • present an integrated approach to detailed timber building design that demonstrates an incorporation of structural, thermal and acoustic performance;
  • make, test and evaluate novel prototypical building components from timber;
  • use digital modelling techniques for managing, assessing and evaluating timber design projects.

For course related queries, please contact g.fereday@ londonmet.ac.uk or admissions@londonmet.ac.uk