Woodea, the company launched by Zubi Labs, Iker Marcaide's venture builder, has announced the end of its journey four years after its founding. The firm aimed to demonstrate the viability of building homes more sustainably and efficiently using timber as the primary material, challenging the perception that it was less resistant than traditional systems.

Pablo Saiz, CTO and co-founder of Woodea, shared the news on his LinkedIn account, calling it "sad news, not only for us, but I believe also for the sector." Saiz expressed gratitude for the support from Zubi Labs, acknowledging the challenge but celebrating the "luck to be able to try it."

According to Saiz, the closure is due to "a financial problem that they could not resolve," ruling out the business model as the cause. The company believes its approach "is and will be a solution to the problem of sustainable and affordable housing." Woodea was developing a residential project in Burjassot, one of the first multi-story timber buildings in Valencia, which is reportedly still progressing according to Zubi Cities.

The CTO emphasized that "industrialized construction and engineered timber are here to stay" and that "there is no other way." He highlighted the sector's evolution, with suppliers moving from prototypes to building thousands of units, and the inclusion of industrialization and carbon footprint reduction criteria in public housing tenders. "It has been a wonderful journey in which the entire Woodea team has grown enormously," he concluded.