It’s renewable, strong as steel, astonishingly fireproof – yet it’s easy and quiet to build with. Could timber construction be the future? We step inside the revolutionary new London workplace that everyone wants to touch. …In Shoreditch, east London, stands the Black & White, a new office block that boasts few of the shiny gimmicks of its bloated glass and steel neighbours… But building it used almost 40% less carbon than comparable structures – primarily because it’s made of wood. …“We’re getting a really clear understanding of the biophilic benefits of natural environments, beyond the carbon savings,” says Andrew Waugh of Waugh Thistleton, the architects behind the project. “People sleep better in timber homes, study better in timber schools, heal faster in timber hospitals and have less stress in timber offices.” …in the development industry, form follows finance. Only this time, it’s keen to be seen to be green.