Monday, September 8, 2025
The concept of a circular economy in construction—where materials are endlessly reused and repurposed—is moving from a visionary ideal to a tangible reality, and a significant breakthrough in the world of engineered wood is leading the charge. Stora Enso, a global leader in renewable materials, has achieved a major milestone in the EU Woodcircles project by successfully manufacturing a cross-laminated timber (CLT) panel entirely from reclaimed wood. This achievement, a first of its kind, promises to reshape the mass timber industry by proving that high-performance building materials can be born from waste, not just virgin resources.
This accomplishment, carried out at Stora Enso’s Ybbs Mill in Austria, is a cornerstone of the four-year Horizon Europe initiative. The Woodcircles project, which brings together 20 partners from across the continent, is dedicated to exploring innovative ways to reuse, re-engineer, and reintroduce wood into the built environment. The ultimate goal is to create a closed-loop system for timber, ensuring that structural integrity and design flexibility are never compromised.
From demolition site to demonstration building
The journey of the timber from its initial life to its new one was a meticulous process. The raw material, a batch of reclaimed wood collected by project partner Enemærke & Petersen A/S, was first transported to the Ybbs Mill. There, it was processed into standard boards and meticulously sorted, planed, and prepared to become CLT lamellas—the thin timber layers essential for CLT production.
In a key collaboration with the Danish Technological Institute (DTI), Stora Enso used this reclaimed timber to produce two full-size CLT master panels. One was made exclusively from the reclaimed wood, while a second “hybrid” panel combined both reclaimed and virgin timber. This dual approach allowed the project team to compare the performance and characteristics of both material streams. These panels are destined for a remarkable second life. They will form the structural core of a modular demonstration building designed for reusability. The structure is set to be assembled, dismantled, and reassembled in various cities across Europe, serving as a powerful, mobile showcase of the viability of circular timber construction.
Michael Harm, Stora Enso’s project lead for Woodcircles, noted that while the process seemed straightforward on paper, the practical execution involved a steep learning curve. “There’s increasing pressure to move from linear to circular material use, and this project is helping us take meaningful steps in that direction,” he said, highlighting the critical nature of the work in a world demanding more sustainable practices.
While the production of these first panels is a technical success, scaling the process for industrial use presents significant challenges. The primary obstacle is the inconsistency of reclaimed wood. Unlike virgin timber, reclaimed materials can vary widely in quality, may contain hidden contaminants like metal fragments, and are not consistently available in the quantity or grade required for mass production. This necessitates the development of entirely new industrial processes for sorting, cleaning, and grading, along with the creation of new supply chain actors dedicated to providing uniform-quality reclaimed timber at scale.
“This is just the beginning,” Harm explained. “We’ve proven it can be done, but scaling it will require innovation across the entire value chain—from demolition practices to digital tracking of material provenance.” The project also underscores the vital importance of cross-sector collaboration. Architects, engineers, researchers, and manufacturers must work together to create the standards, tools, and systems necessary to support circularity without sacrificing performance or safety.
Designing for a second life and beyond
The next phase of the Woodcircles project will focus on Design for Manufacture, Assembly, and Disassembly (DFMAD). This concept is revolutionary, as it involves designing buildings from the ground up to be easily taken apart and reused with minimal waste. Stora Enso is collaborating with Waugh Thistleton Architects and other partners to develop a standardised, component-based mass timber building system that can be reused across multiple life cycles.
Kirsten Haggart of Waugh Thistleton Architects confirmed that the construction of the first DFMAD demonstrator building will begin in late 2025 and continue into 2026. This structure will showcase not only the value of recycled timber but also the benefits of adaptability and reuse of building systems. Once completed, the building will tour cities like Turin, Tartu, and Rotterdam, acting as a mobile showcase for circular timber design. The building will also be equipped with smart monitoring systems to track its performance, durability, and environmental impact over time. María Teresa López Bertani, Communications Officer for Woodcircles, highlighted the project’s expansive scope: “This pilot paves the way for our transformative ‘Urban Sawmill’ initiative, positioning Woodcircles as a model of sustainable construction’s future.”
Cities as secondary forests
For the mass timber sector, the implications of this project are profound. As demand for sustainable materials continues to surge, the ability to reclaim structural timber from urban environments offers a powerful and sustainable response. It’s an approach that effectively treats cities as a “secondary forest,” providing a new source of raw material that conserves natural resources and reduces pressure on primary forest ecosystems. Essi Laapas, Sustainability Manager for Stora Enso, noted that reusing wood also supports biodiversity.
Stora Enso’s groundbreaking achievement is a powerful reminder that a circular economy in construction is not a distant goal but a practical challenge that can be met with innovation, collaboration, and perseverance. The success of the EU Woodcircles project offers a glimpse into a future where engineered wood products are not just renewable but reusable, fundamentally changing how we build and interact with our environment. The buildings of tomorrow may very well be designed to be disassembled—again and again.
Read more news on: forestry, sustainability, circular economy
Get such updates through the American woodworking industry website: woodandpanel.us
Tags: circular construction, circular economy, CLT, modular construction, reclaimed wood, Stora Enso
Comments: