Platform on new construction, renovation, restoration and transformation
Urban Climate Architects shows how wooden high-rise buildings can connect with nature, residents and climate ambitions. In Delft, the firm is working on The Urban Woods, a 31-meter-high residential tower constructed of circular CLT, flax and hemp, with no concrete or steel construction. A radical roadmap towards bio-based urbanism.
Urban Climate Architects is known for designs that do not clash with the environment, but become part of it. “We want to make beautiful architecture, but without harming nature,” says architect Tim Vermeend. In The Urban Woods, that literally takes shape. The building consists of biobased materials such as CLT, flax and wood fiber. Even the elevator shafts are made of wood. “We use as little new wood as possible. Fiber crops you can harvest annually - that makes the ecological impact even smaller.”
The Urban Woods has 102 apartments between 42 and 65 m2. The apartments are compact, but in return there is a lot of shared space. Downstairs you'll find a shared kitchen, gym, workstations and generous seating area. Vermeend: “That second room you otherwise have at home, we moved it downstairs. That's how we encourage encounters.” Even the stairs are designed to provoke social interaction: narrower toward the top, requiring you to make room for each other and creating contact.
This Delft project is the first in a series of The Urban Woods buildings. The concept is being rolled out in several cities, with shared facilities at each location. “If you live in The Urban Woods in Delft, you can also book a guest room in Zwolle or work in Amsterdam. This creates a network of places to live that are connected.”
Urban Climate Architects was in the picture even before the land for The Urban Woods was purchased. Together with the client and the municipality, the team worked on an urban plan that fits the renewal of the neighborhood. In it, The Urban Woods forms an architectural anchor point. “We wanted to design a building that is ahead on all fronts: in use of materials, design and sustainability.” The result is a fully demountable and modular building, in which Urban Climate Architects brings together many innovations. For example, this is the first project to use recycled construction timber: CLT, made from waste wood and old pallets. In collaboration with TNO, CO2 storage is being measured. “We are always looking for the limit. Each building has to be better than the previous one.”
What makes the project extra special for Vermeend are the design freedom and the social purpose. “We design not only for residents, but also for their living environment. That requires thoughtful choices - from the mix of materials to how you meet in the building.” Urban Climate Architects aims to build sustainable cities, with architecture that saves energy, supports biodiversity and connects people.
In 2026, The Urban Woods in Delft will be completed. Vermeend can now be found there almost daily, and time and again he is impressed by what is being created together with all the partners. “The construction site is clean, pleasant and the building literally grows every day. I hope that residents will enjoy being here soon as much as I do now during construction. Then the project will be truly successful.”
