California is a global technology engine. Meanwhile, the state is struggling with an enormous housing shortage. Given the combination of high construction costs, a convoluted planning process and major social challenges, new solutions are urgently needed.
For example, the city of Palo Alto is planning to add 6,000 new dwellings in the next five years, a target that many believe will be extremely difficult to achieve.
“The greatest challenge is that there is no land to build on. And existing buildings are largely two-storey houses. That leaves us with building upwards, something for which timber is ideal,” says architect Jessica Becker.
Becker has been based in Palo Alto since summer 2024. Her mission is to disseminate knowledge of Swedish timber construction and its benefits.
Becker is certainly the right woman in the right place. She has a wealth of experience of building in timber and sustainable built environments and since 2018, she has been operations manager for Wood City Sweden, which is a member of the Timber on Top project. Funded by Vinnova, Sweden’s national innovation agency, the project is exploring the possibilities for extending buildings upwards using prefabricated timber modules.
Nordic Innovation House in Silicon Valley
Becker is currently evaluating the conditions for initiating a physical pilot project in California, in the midst of one of the world’s most expensive real estate markets. This is taking place within the framework of her fellowship at Nordic Innovation House, a hub for Nordic innovators and entrepreneurs in Silicon Valley, California.
Vinnova, Business Sweden, Swedish American Chambers Of Commerce and other stakeholders are part of the hub, with the ambition of driving the green transition and supporting Swedish companies globally.
Timber vertical extensions are one such opportunity. According to Becker, this is one tangible way of creating new homes without demolition or destroying functioning built environments.
“Sweden has made considerable progress in industrial timber construction. We have a strong forest industry, bio-based economy and long experience of prefabricated solutions. As a material, timber also has advantages in earthquakes – an important factor here,” says Becker.
Positive encounters with elements of skepticism
Meetings with everyone from municipalities to governors have generally gone well. They have been positively disposed to building in timber, even if some have expressed scepticism about the material’s durability and fire-resistance.
Becker points out that the latter is entirely understandable given California’s recent experience with forest fires.
“California is a progressive state, so there is interest in building in timber. However, the national political climate under Trump has involved a certain amount of caution when it comes to communicating publicly about these issues. Both academia and the business community may have felt compelled to choose their words and arguments carefully, outwardly at least. However, personally I haven’t felt any need to censor my rhetoric,” she says.
Becker is used to fighting her corner and, with 15 years of experience in the timber industry, she can answer questions on anything from fire safety engineering to sustainable forestry.
“I usually say that it’s about the entire value chain; of course, timber buildings are natural carbon sinks and the material grows back. But wood is a tool, not a religion. We shouldn’t be building with it just because we can. It’s about thinking in terms of circularity, beginning from what we already have, and building smarter,” she says.
Optimistic about the future
Becker underlines the importance of neurodesign – how the built environment affects our wellbeing – to the Americans, referring to studies demonstrating that natural materials such as wood relieve stress and lower heart rate. And she is optimistic. She can see growing interest in new solutions in California, not least when they come from Sweden.
“There’s a lot going on right now. My hope is that we will soon be able implement a pilot project demonstrating how smart, sustainable and beautiful timber construction can be. And it would be fantastic to show that Sweden can make a difference – even in Silicon Valley.”
Text: Mattias Boström Photo: Private