Workshop: Developing a roadmap for structural timber reuse
Diego and Georgie from the DICE Network+ team supported a highly engaging workshop held at Futurebuild 2026 (Excel London) led by Dr Colin Rose and Dr Vijay Pawar and the wider UCL team from the Timber Reuse feasibility study. Hosted in the Futurebuild Connect Lounge, sponsored by Material Index, the workshop brought together 25 stakeholders from across the timber value chain, including designers, engineers, manufacturers, policy and standards bodies, digital innovators, and circular economy specialists. Focused on developing a roadmap for structural timber reuse, the session created a collaborative, cross-sector forum for open and constructive dialogue.
Diego Bermudez provided an overview of DICE N+ and our focus on enabling digitally driven circular economy solutions. Through a series of structured discussions led by Colin Rose, pictured, participants explored the challenges and opportunities shaping timber reuse, with particular focus on identifying drivers for short-, medium- and long-term action. Conversations revealed two critical, interlinked areas of focus: advancing physical reuse through live projects and case examples (where perceived barriers can be explored and overcome), while simultaneously developing the guidance, standards and scalable systems needed to underpin industry confidence.
The drive for the workshop was strong recognition that technical feasibility – particularly around AI-enabled timber grading – is not the main barrier. In addition, progress depends on aligning system-wide enablers such as policy, insurance, data infrastructure and value chain collaboration. Insights also highlighted the importance of learning from more advanced sectors and geographies, including structural steel reuse pathways.
The workshop generated significant energy, with new collaborations forming and valuable insights shared. These will now be taken forward by the UCL team to strengthen the real-world relevance and impact of their research, with the potential for a Community of Interest to develop, supporting a clearer pathway to adoption at scale.