A circular approach to timber construction

By Kai-Stefan Schober

Construction generates over 40% of global CO₂ emissions and 60% of all waste – and while timber is renewable and carbon-storing, it's typically glued, nailed, or screwed into composites that can only be demolished. TRIQBRIQ AG, a Stuttgart-based startup, wants to transform timber into a material that keeps its value across multiple building lifecycles — turning a construction cost into a recoverable asset. In this Startup Radar conversation, co-founders Maximilian Wörner, Markus Hildebrand, and Timo Preußler discuss the technology, the funding landscape, and the structural shifts reshaping the construction industry.

This interview is part of the series "Construction Startup Radar".

What does TRIQBRIQ do, and how do you stand apart?

Most timber systems — CLT, glulam — use adhesives, which makes true material separation at end of life impossible. We develop, manufacture, and distribute a circular mass timber building system that uses micro-modular solid wood bricks — called BRIQs — for load-bearing walls in residential, commercial, and retrofit projects. The BRIQs are made from industrial, calamity, and reclaimed timber, joined by a patented wood dowel system with no adhesives or metal fasteners. That means a wall can be taken apart and its components genuinely reused – not just recycled.

What role does digitalization play in your business?

Digitalization affects TRIQBRIQ on two levels. First, we use robotics-assisted manufacturing to increase our precision and throughput. Our first fully automated line came online end of June 2026, and our containerized, transferable production cells only work because the process is digitally controlled. Second, in planning and logistics, our standardized BRIQ geometry integrates with BIM workflows, cutting design effort for repeat applications and supporting material tracking across a building's life cycle.

What is your vision for TRIQBRIQ?

We aim to make the circular timber wall a standard structural option across German-speaking markets and beyond — operating and licensing up to 30 micro-factory cells across Germany, with Austria active since early 2026 and more markets to follow. We're already in the US and Latin America. The goal: grow the amount of CO₂e incorporated into building structures and prove Design for Disassembly works economically at scale – not just in showcase projects.

What types of partners are you seeking?

Housing associations and municipal housing companies with multi-project pipelines, so we can industrialize repetition. Architects and structural engineers who bring us in early, since circularity only works if it's planned from the start. General contractors willing to build new process competence. Municipalities for landmark public projects. Regional sawmills for reliable supply. And investors with a long-term, hardware-appropriate view — patient capital, not software return horizons.

What is your perspective on what the construction industry will look like over the next 2-3 years?

There are three main converging pressures on the industry: Tighter regulations around embodied-carbon, a persistent housing shortage, and growing labor scarcity pushing further industrialization. EU taxonomy rules and stricter national building standards are creating real demand for low-embodied-carbon systems, and circularity principles are shifting from voluntary to compliance-driven. Europe's housing crisis keeps demand high even amid difficult interest rates, adding pressure to build faster and cheaper — all favoring industrialized, prefabricated, material-efficient systems.

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