3 REASONS TO CHOOSE TIMBER CONSTRUCTION

Opting for timber construction means choosing a building material that promotes sustainable development at every stage of its life cycle. Wood is characterised by its relatively low energy consumption. In other words, its production, transport and recycling require little energy.

Here are 3 good reasons to choose wood construction…

A RENEWABLE AND ABUNDANT RAW MATERIAL

Unlike fossil fuels, whose reserves are exhaustible, wood is a raw material:

• Renewable: a tree regenerates in less than 100 years
• Abundant: in Europe, forests are exploited in a sustainable manner
• Locally available: wood is available everywhere in Europe where forests are managed in a sustainable manner.
• Certified: the wood is traceable throughout its “career”. The PEFC and FSC labels identify sustainably managed forests.

A LOW IMPACT MATERIAL

Unlike concrete or steel, wood is a low-energy building material. It is in fact :

• Light: its low weight optimises the energy consumed for its transformation, transport and implementation.
• Dry: wood construction does not waste water, a scarce resource in some parts of the world.
• Insulating: the low thermal conductivity of wood allows for substantial energy savings.

A ‘CARBONIVOROUS’ MATERIAL

Wood is a remarkable ‘carbonivorous’. It is in fact the only material whose use helps to combat greenhouse gases.

• In the forest: for its growth, the tree absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) through photosynthesis. A well-managed and exploited forest can store 16 tonnes of CO2 annually thanks to the young shoots that are very ‘carbonivorous’.
• In construction: wood stores up to 1 tonne of CO2 per m3.
• As a fuel: wood energy has a very positive carbon balance because a balance is created between the absorption of CO2 during growth and its release during combustion. The ADEME estimates that 4 m3 of wood energy allow the saving of about 1 ton of oil and 2.5 tons of CO2 emissions in the atmosphere avoided.

Wood is a material par excellence for sustainable development and is a key player in the environmental challenges of tomorrow.