Timber construction as a paragon for regenerative building production in Sweden

Paper in proceeding, 2026

The Swedish construction industry is experiencing a resurgence of timber construction, driven by sustainability goals and advances in wood technology. This positional paper argues that such a resurgence can catalyse a new regenerative building production paradigm that not only mitigates environmental harm but actively contributes positive ecological and social value. Informed by the sustainability transitions theory and adopting the phenomena construction methodology, we synthesize literature and industry evidence to conceptualize timber construction as a paragon for regenerative practice. Through this lens, we analyse how timber projects can embody regenerative principles in material choice, carbon footprint, site processes, and community well-being. We then discuss the implications of this paradigm for construction management in Sweden, including the need for new collaborative business models, supply chain integration, and skills development. This paper contributes to the sustainable production discourse by positing that embracing timber-based regenerative production has the potential to bring about a contextually significant paradigm shift towards net-positivity and resource efficiency but will require Swedish construction practitioners to radically rethink production management practices.