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Here are 5 spaces showing the potential of sustainable timber construction

BOOKMARK ARTICLE

Wood has been lauded as one of the most sustainable materials for construction, but it is not a foolproof solution. Responsible sourcing and application are crucial to the equation. We rounded up five spaces that are setting an example of sustainability through conscious timber construction.

Innovation in timber construction makes for future-proof – and educational – institution spaces

Michael Green Architecture (MGA) designed two mass timber buildings at the University of Oregon’s Forest Sciences Complex. Site-specific techniques were developed and applied, like the combined use of MPP mass timber panels and glued laminated timber (GLT), a product made by bonding together layers of lumber with their woodgrains aligned. The physical strength of this combination allowed MGA to create the long span required for such an expansive space. The application of these techniques not only reduces the building’s carbon footprint but serves as an educational tool at the university’s forest sciences school.

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Responsible hybrid-timber construction enables circular spatial design

Tchoban Voss Architekten designed the twin buildings of EDGE Suedkreuz Berlin, Germany’s largest hybrid-timber building. The use of pre-fabricated modules allows for the building’s eventual deconstruction and reuse of its elements. The use of wood as a structural and decorative element allows the space to retain heat longer than other construction materials. The building’s deconstruction plan, use of prefabricated modules and material passport, show that truly sustainable architecture not only pays mind to the sourcing of materials but also looks to how their lifecycles can be extended.

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Using high-quality timber minimizes the need for additional interior finishes

3XN and GXN, designed the Green Solution House 2.0, a hotel on the island of Bornholm in Denmark. Cross-laminated timber panels form repeated box-like modules that comprise the hotel’s footprint. The wood panels are exposed from the inside to eliminate the need for extra finishes. This project shows that new construction can live true to sustainability claims through smart sourcing, application and the maximization of use. 

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Locally sourced timber can create affordable and sustainable urban living spaces

Peris+Toral Arquitectes delivered Spain’s largest wood-structure residential building, which consists of 85 social dwellings, in Barcelona. A total of 8,300 sq-m of zero-kilometer wood from Basque Country was used. The affordable housing crisis alongside the climate crisis especially warrants socially and sustainably viable solutions like wood construction. The building demonstrates that building relatively inexpensive and affordable residential spaces does not mean that environmentally harmful materials or fleeting designs are the only options in combatting both ever-salient issues.

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Using local sources of wood makes material tracing and accountability easier

Les Archinautes reimagined the archetypal wood cabin holiday cabin with the design of a 118-sq-m home overlooking the Lipno Lake in the Bohemian Forest in Czech Republic. Approximately 90 per cent of the wood was sourced locally and because of the extensive used of wood and its systematic application, between 80 and 90 per cent of the home’s materials are recyclable. The home’s extensive use of locally sourced wood helps mitigate two of the wood industry’s biggest issues in sustainability: traceability and accountability. A sustainable material is only sustainable if it is used in such a way.

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