R AND SUSTAINABILITY
E OF WOOD FOR GOOD –
DOING GOOD AS IT GROWS Timber is a natural solution to a man- made problem. It is a completely renewable resource that absorbs carbon and produces oxygen as it grows. Requiring only sunlight and rainfall to
grow, carbon output is limited to the fuel consumed if machinery is used to plant the trees. By contrast, producing a tonne of brick requires four times the amount of energy to produce sawn softwood. Concrete requires five times the energy, glass six times, steel 24 times and aluminium 126 times.
Sustainable forestry maximises the effectiveness of this process by harvesting trees when they are at the peak of their growth cycle, and planting three new trees in their place. This means that trees’ carbon absorption ‘function’ is always operating at optimum effectiveness, and the decay and the inevitable release of carbon that takes place should trees die and be allowed to decay naturally is avoided. By harvesting trees at this point in their cycle, you are effectively locking carbon into the end timber product, preventing it being re-released back into the atmosphere. There aren’t many materials that can absorb and lock away carbon as they grow, while simultaneously producing oxygen and biodiverse habitats.
THE GIFT THAT KEEPS ON GIVING Once wood is in place within a
building, timber continues to help the environment. Its low thermal mass means that it is an excellent insulator, so buildings made from timber frames typically require less energy to stay warm. For example, timber also has some of the best thermal insulation properties of any mainstream construction material. Wood insulates 15 times better than concrete, 400 times better than steel and 1,770 times better than aluminium. Indeed, wood’s thermal insulation properties are so good that many buildings made from timber require no further insulation. Timber frame weighs less than other building materials, meaning lower impacts on foundations. This is especially of benefit in urban areas, where space is at a premium and there may be significant underground infrastructure that needs to
be protected, such as sewers or underground railway systems. Bridport House in Hackney, a nine storey residential tower, is a good example of this. Using timber can also lower the cost of building projects, as it can be pre- engineered offsite before being slotted into place, meaning project timescales are significantly reduced. This pre-engineering also means lower noise impacts in the vicinity of the site, making timber frame constructions better corporate neighbours and causing les inconvenience for others in the area.
MYTH BUSTING
With so many benefits, and no real drawbacks, it is difficult to comprehend why timber is not already widely used in the UK. This can be partially attributed to some of the intuitive myths surrounding timber.
The first of these is that chopping down trees is bad for the environment. A felled tree is seen as a potent symbol of man’s dominance over nature, his desire to exploit it for his own ends. In fact, forestry is one of the most sustainable, environmentally friendly practices around, with one significant caveat – it must be sustainable. Sustainable forestry is in fact a perfect example of man working with the natural environment in a way that will benefit them both, and preserve woodland for future generations.
The good news then is that it is that the vast majority of timber used in the UK is sustainable, and with the introduction of the EU Timber Regulations on the 3rd March this year, which makes it an offence to place illegal timber on the EU market, using non-sustainable wood is set to become even more of a rarity. The second myth we need to overcome is that timber is highly flammable, and that any human dwelling
constructed primarily of timber is significantly more at risk from fire than any other. This is not the case either, as modern timber treatments mean that timber is as flame-retardant as any other building material.
CAMPAIGNING FOR CHANGE At present, the sustainable benefits of timber are rarely discussed outside of environmental circles, and this is something we want to change. By raising awareness of how we can all benefit from the increased use of timber, we hope to drive public appetite for timber products and encourage architects to specify timber frames for buildings.
The time is right to increase the use of timber in public sector building products, and we hope to see public sector sustainability managers leading from the front on this issue.
www.woodforgood.com
PUBLIC SECTOR SUSTAINABILITY • VOLUME 2 ISSUE 4 19
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