Currently, the buildings are mostly constructed with steel and concrete. These two materials have been the most used in the construction industry. However, neither of both has a completely sustainble life cycle balance as the wood.
As a building material, wood possesses competitive characteristics and properties compared to the other two materials.
- Wood needs only a small amount of energy for production and recycling.
- Wood is a completely renewable material.
- Wood does not produce remaining waste at the end of the life. The material can be used to produce other products or for the production of biomass.
- Wood absorbs a large amount of carbon from the atmosphere. For example, 1 tree may contain more than 1 ton of CO2 [1].
Finally, according to US Green Building Council (2016) the United States issued around 39% of carbon emissions in the construction sector. Europe has a a similar percentage of 36% [2].
By using wood as a construction material, we are helping to reduce global carbon emissions into the atmosphere and ensure a sustainable life cycle of the buildings.
All this has to be done also always taking care of a sustainable production of the wood in the natural forests.
A big hug, all the best!
[1] Mayo, J. (2015): Solid Wood: Case Studies in Mass Timber Architecture, Technology and Design. New York: Routledge. [2] European Commission for Research and Innovation (2016). Challenges Ahead.
