From Seed to Structure
PANEL | 1 October 2025 | 15:30-17:00
Haliç Congress Center, İstanbul
As the construction of climate-friendly cities gains momentum, the use of nature-based, renewable materials is becoming increasingly important. This session will explore how comprehensive wood-based building strategies can inspire the wider use of wood in Türkiye, focusing on its integration with local forestry policies, production chains, and design culture. Using the Swedish example as a good practice, the discussion will address how a roadmap can be developed for Türkiye. The journey of wood, from seed to structure, will be examined through the lenses of sustainable forest management, building technologies, and design policies.
Program
Session 1
This sequence is structured to first draw inspiration from an international example, then to understand the legal framework and capacity in Turkey, and finally to address forestry policies and raw material availability.
15:30–16:20 – Knowledge Sharing In this opening section, we will examine how timber is positioned in the construction sector from different perspectives:
Moderator: Nesli Kayalı – Introduction to structural timber focus and the overall framework of the panel.
Speaker 1: Susanne Rudenstam – The Swedish experience, Sweden’s “Quadrohelix” model and sectoral strategies. This part will provide an international reference point to inspire Turkey.
Speaker 2: Ahmet Türer Regulation and Capacity in Turkey – What the new timber construction regulation, enacted in 2024, makes possible in line with the 2053 targets. – Certified categories and their sectoral implications.
Speaker 3: Representative of the General Directorate of Forestry (OGM) Forests and Raw Material in Turkey – The current state of Turkish forests. – OGM’s timber sales policies and future outlook.
Session 2
16:20–16:40 – Interactive Discussion Part 1: Environmental and Cultural Dimensions
“Timber buildings are at least as harmful to the environment and climate as reinforced concrete buildings.” → Selçuk Avcı: life cycle (recycling), timber as a carbon sink rather than a carbon emitter, design perspective.
“Timber use leads to rapid depletion of forests.” → Göksel Korkmaz (TORİD): sustainable forest management, sector practices.
“Timber buildings have a short lifespan and require excessive maintenance.” → Demet Sürücü: academic research, historical examples, up-to-date knowledge.
Session 3
16:40–17:00 – Interactive Discussion Part 2: Economic and Technical Dimensions
“Timber buildings are more dangerous in case of fire.” → Ahmet Topbaş: engineering perspective, fire performance, earthquake safety.
“Building with timber is always more expensive than reinforced concrete.” → Mehmet Akif Asmaz: production, costs, supply chain.
“There is not enough expertise and institutional capacity for timber construction in Turkey.” → Kadir Doğacan Doğan (GAMM/UAB): professional-student collaborations, goals, cooperating institutions, forms of support.
