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Woodcircles making reclaimed wood CLT a reality

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) manufactured from reclaimed wood is no longer just a sustainability ideal thanks to Stora Enso and the EU Woodcircles project, circular CLT is real, and the next frontier is scaling it. Source: Timberbiz A milestone in the EU Woodcircles project marks a significant achievement for Stora Enso, as the company has successfully produced a CLT panel entirely from reclaimed wood within the EU-funded Woodcircles project. This achievement, realised at the Ybbs Mill in Austria, marks a major step forward in the transition to circular construction and demonstrates the potential of up-scaled timber in high-performance applications. Woodcircles is a four-year Horizon Europe initiative involving 20 partners across the continent. It explores how wood can be reused, re-engineered, and reintroduced into the built environment without compromising structural integrity or design flexibility. The process began with a batch of reclaimed wood, collected by a project partner, Enemærke & Petersen A/S which was processed into standard boards in Ybbs, Austria. These panels were then sorted, planed, and turned into CLT lamellas, thin timber layers used in CLT production. In collaboration with the Danish Technological Institute (DTI), Stora Enso manufactured two full-size CLT master panels: one made entirely from reclaimed wood, and another hybrid panel combining reclaimed and virgin timber. These panels will form the structural core of a modular demonstration building that will be assembled, dismantled, and reassembled in cities across Europe. They will showcase the viability of circular timber construction in real-world settings. “The process looked straightforward on paper, but in practice it involved a steep learning curve,” said Michael Harm, Stora Enso’s project lead for Woodcircles. “There’s increasing pressure to move from linear to circular material use, and this project is helping us take meaningful steps in that direction.” While the panels represent a technical success, scaling up production poses significant challenges. Reclaimed wood can vary widely in quality, may contain contaminants, and is not consistently available in the quantity or grade required. Sorting, cleaning and grading demand new industrial processes, as well as fresh supply chain actors capable of delivering uniform-quality reclaimed timber at scale to manufacturers like Stora Enso. “This is just the beginning,” Harm notes. “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 highlights the importance of cross-sector collaboration. Engineers, architects, researchers, and manufacturers must work together to develop standards, tools, and systems that support circularity without compromising performance. The next phase of Woodcircles focuses on Design for Manufacture, Assembly, and Disassembly (DFMAD), a concept that enables buildings to be taken apart and reused with minimal waste. Stora Enso, collaborating with Waugh Thistleton Architects and other partners will develop a standardised component-based mass timber building that can be reused across multiple life cycles. “From October 2025 to spring 2026, we will work with Stora Enso and other consortium partners, as well as the valuable input of the cities of Turin, Rotterdam and Tartu, to construct the first DFMAD demonstrator building using the reclaimed CLT panels. “The demonstrator will showcase high-value recycled timber materials as well as demonstrate the benefits of adaptability and reuse of building systems. Once complete, the structure will tour partner cities, serving as a mobile showcase of circular timber design,” said Kirsten Haggart of Waugh Thistleton Architects. The building will not only demonstrate material reuse but also incorporate smart monitoring systems to track performance, durability, and environmental impact over time. “To prove the concept of upcycling wood waste, the journey began in Denmark, continued in Austria, and will extend through collaboration with our UK partners, culminating in a demonstrator across Torino, Tartu, and Rotterdam. This pilot paves the way for our transformative ‘Urban Sawmill’ initiative, positioning Woodcircles as a model of sustainable construction’s future” said María Teresa López Bertani, Communications Officer for Woodcircles. The buildings of tomorrow may arrive disassembled, again and again. Stora Enso’s achievement is a reminder that circularity in construction is not a distant ideal it’s a practical challenge that can be met with the right mix of innovation, collaboration, and persistence. “We’re proud to have taken this first step,” says Harm. “But the real work lies ahead, scaling the process, refining the technology, and building the ecosystem that makes circular timber construction the norm, not the exception.” “For the mass timber sector, the implications extend far beyond carbon accounting and storage. As the demand for sustainable construction materials continues to grow, the ability to reclaim structural timber from urban environments, effectively treating cities as secondary forests offers a powerful response. Not only does this conserve resources, reusing wood also supports biodiversity by reducing pressure on primary forest ecosystems. Projects like Woodcircles offer a glimpse into a future where engineered wood products are not just renewable but reusable,” said Essi Laapas, Sustainability Manager for Stora Enso.