Cross-Laminated Timber as a Sustainable Building Material: an Interdisciplinary Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Cross-Laminated Timber (CLT) is an innovative structural material composed of timber layers bonded perpendicularly, offering high load-bearing capacity, durability, and environmental benefits. As a sustainable alternative to conventional construction materials, CLT has gained growing attention in architecture and engineering. Although previous studies have examined its structural performance, environmental impacts, and design applications, a comprehensive mapping of research trends across disciplines has remained limited. This study aims to fill this gap by conducting a bibliometric analysis of 1,937 English-language publications indexed in the Web of Science database between 2007 and June 2025, using the keywords “cross laminated timber” and “mass timber.” Publications were analyzed by year, country, discipline, and alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Keyword co-occurrences, citation networks, and thematic clusters were visualized with VOSviewer. The findings reveal four major research clusters—structural-mechanical behavior, connection details and seismic performance, environmental sustainability, and fire-hybrid systems—demonstrating the interdisciplinary evolution of CLT. By highlighting how these clusters contribute to engineering practices, architectural design, and sustainability strategies, the study provides a holistic framework that distinguishes it from earlier reviews and offers guidance for future research directions in timber-based construction.