Dan Pope, architect at THISS Studio, discusses the importance of responsible timber specification, highlighting the complexities of certification systems, prompting a critical reevaluation of sourcing practices and verification methods.
Dan Pope, architect at THISS Studio.
In our pursuit of sustainable architecture, responsible timber specification plays an important role; combining environmental, ethical, and economic considerations. I believe architects, as stewards of the built environment, could do more research, raise our standards, and ensure that our approach to timber specification aligns with our values.
Founded in 1993, The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) has grown to become the world’s most extensive forest certification system, covering over 160 million hectares of forest. Recognisable for its tree-tick symbol, it has long been considered a trusted voice of ethical wood sourcing. A number of cases of fraud and scandal within the FSC’s systems have been discussed online, raising critical questions about the reliability of its certification. While its mission to promote ‘environmentally sound, socially beneficial, and economically prosperous management of the world’s forests’ is commendable, further examination reveals a disconcerting reality. Earthsight’s investigations into FSC scandals suggest a significant gap between the ethical image portrayed by the FSC logo and the actual practices within its certified supply chain, citing harmful practices across Europe, Asia and Africa. This dissonance opens up space for architects to critically reevaluate their reliance on FSC certification.
‘Sunny Side Up’ by THISS Studio is an East London extension that has been conceived as a crafted piece of joinery.
We applied this approach when specifying the Sapele wood on our recently completed project ‘Sunny Side Up’. Whilst the supplier, Latham Timber, assured the timber’s sustainability and offered both OLB (Verified 3rd Party Legal) and FSC 100 per cent certification, our desire to wholly understand provenance still remained. We worked together with our contractor, Fiona Sail of Sail & Sons, to further verify the sustainability claims associated with this FSC-certified timber, as well as with the Latham Specification Manager who corroborated its sustainability and ethicality. Following the project’s completion, we have since learned that both FSC and Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC™) practise chain of custody certification, granting the architect, contractor or client full transparency to cross check the origin of their timber themselves at each stage of its life allowing us to trace the material’s provenance from forest to finished product. This is something we will implement across all studio projects going forward.
The availability of timbers suitable for exterior windows and doors in the UK and Europe presents additional challenges. Elm faces significant threats from Dutch Elm disease and a subsequent decline of stock is threatening English Oak, meaning its local supply is more expensive for the client. Ash is suffering from the impact of Ash dieback, which has depleted supplies across Europe. Architects could explore the design opportunities these challenges present and consider diversifying timber choices, exploring lesser-known options whilst investing the time needed to ensure the use of sustainable options to uphold ethical and sustainable values.
‘Sunny Side Up’ allowed us to interrogate our own process and sometimes complacency in material specification, raising questions about the reliability of certification. With each project, we learn something new.
On the topic of knowledge sharing, we wanted to spotlight ‘non-extractive architecture(s)‘, a resource that we have recently found particularly insightful with a vast array of resources that challenge architectural practice by helping us reimagine the relationship between built and natural environments, technology, politics, and the responsibility of the architect as an agent of transformation.
Moving forward, architects could benefit from sharing knowledge, and foster a collective commitment to responsible timber specification. As architects we should leverage our influence to encourage transparency, demand verifiable evidence, and explore alternative sources of materials, cultivating a future where sustainable specification goes beyond the limitations of certification.
