The structure, being constructed entirely from CLT, will replace a 1950s block of flats as part of the regeneration of he run-down Colville Estate.

Bridport House is billed as the first time CLT has been used in the UK for the entire structure, including ground floor, of a high-rise building. Previous CLT high-rise applications like the nine-storey Stadthaus project, also in Hackney, have featured a concrete ground floor.

This could lead to Bridport House challenging Stadthaus’s reputation as the tallest residential timber structure in the world.

The 41-apartment building, commissioned by the London Borough of Hackney, will use CLT panels made from PEFC-certified spruce at Stora Enso’s Austrian factory.

CLT was specified as the main structural material to meet sustainability objectives – the carbon sink properties of timber will offset carbon emissions resulting from the construction process.

It was also chosen because a storm relief sewer runs under the site, making it unsuitable for a heavy traditional concrete frame structure.

CLT panels are being placed in a variety of positions on each floor, thus spreading the load and making it possible to double the size of the building compared to the original structure (with only a 10% increase in overall weight).

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