How can wood construction reduce environmental degradation?

In the EU, the construction sector employs currently more than 12 million people and accounts for 42% of the total energy consumption as well as 35% of the total greenhouse gas emissions, when considering the whole lifecycle of buildings. Reaching significant reductions in the environmental degradation in the sector will require a rapid and widespread uptake of both modern wood construction techniques and advanced concrete and steel technologies. In particular, wood construction can reduce the energy consumption and CO2 emissions related to the manufacture of construction products, as well as contribute to reducing the overall material use and thereby the amount of waste.

A newly published synthesis study by Dr Elias Hurmekoski (European Forest Institute, EFI) presents a short overview of the current state of the European construction sector and gives insight to the possibilities of wood construction.

"This study aims at providing a systematic overview with key facts and figures on how wood construction can contribute to improving the state of the environment. The idea is to paint the big picture in terms of how to relate the diverse, yet almost unanimously positive expectations for wood construction to the tangible environmental benefits that can be expected in light of the best available current knowledge," says Dr Hurmekoski.

More information:
How can wood construction reduce environmental degradation? www.efi.int/files/images/publi … onstruction_2017.pdf

Provided by European Forest Institute