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Basic Info

Long Title: Mainstreaming Wood in Construction
Website: www.mainwood.ch
Lead PI: Prof. Jaboury Ghazoul (ETHZ D-USYS)
Project Manager: Maaike Goedkoop

Timber engineering and construction concepts have immense potential to reduce carbon emissions. The use of biomaterials in the construction industry allows for increased carbon storage and reduced energy-related emissions, but scaling-up wood construction has cross-sectoral implications. Benefitting from expertise from four Swiss research institutions, the MainWood project will provide the scientific basis for the transition to construction bioeconomy in Switzerland and beyond. Working across the wood construction supply chain, the MainWood research team will address forest dynamics impacted by climate change, timber production systems, new wood-based construction materials, innovative design and construction, life cycle assessment, and retrofitting concepts. MainWood is also working with policy and societal actors to contribute to a transition to a circular bioeconomy that connects rural and urban landscapes.

Working Packages

WP-A Participatory Systems and Transitions

Theoretical frameworks are needed to understand how socio-environmental transitions towards wood- construction for climate mitigation might be delivered. These frameworks will provide: (a) the leadership, coordination, and visioning to effectively integrate research activities across all Focus Groups; (b) a clear structure for engaging relevant societal actors; and (c) elaborated visions for research, engagement, and impact. We use a Theory of Change approach to map pathways to impact, and Systems Dynamics Modelling to resolve the structure, interactions, feedbacks, bottlenecks, and leverage points of the wood construction system from forests to cities.

WP-B Forest Growth and Wood Production

We will develop scenarios of forest growth and wood production in Switzerland under anticipated climate and forest management conditions. To assess tree species’ climate suitability and growth dynamics, we will employ process-based models. Scenarios will be validated through collaboration with national, regional, and local stakeholders. The forest planning model that we develop will enable informed dialogue with stakeholders.

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  • Case studies: 6 forest areas in Switzerland, to be determined (contact: Achille Mauri)

WP-C Wood Processing and Building Needs

A shift to increasingly hardwood dominated forests due to climate change calls for novel approaches of wood processing and use. We will develop three approaches at different stages of the wood value chain: (1) Improve the efficient use of sawn wood products and related secondary products; (2) Develop the necessary hardwood processing techniques and products; (3) Reconfigure existing wood value chains by using all components of selected trees for specific architectural realisations.

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WP-D Scaling the Construction Sector

We will simulate future wood market scenarios to estimate material supply and demands. We use Agent-Based Models (ABM) to design and simulate the future development of the Swiss wood construction sector. ABM provides a bottom-up approach to describe highly complex systems by assessing the influence of socio-economic factors on the development of the wood construction sector.

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WP-E Global Wood Supply Chain

It is unlikely that Switzerland will ever be able to meet its growing demand for timber from its national forest estate. We will therefore model timber import scenarios and develop assessment tools for carbon and biodiversity, both nationally and globally, under different forest management scenarios and market demands.

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WP-F Swiss Bioeconomy Policies

Switzerland aims to increase wood utilisation from Swiss forests, which can conflict with other policy directives, such as biodiversity and forest protection. To meet such diverse demands, the Swiss Federal Council has mandated an integral forest and wood Strategy (Integrale Wald- und Holzstrategie 2050). In responding to this goal, we will (1) assess how current and future forest, wood and land-use policies prioritise different forest services, (2) analyse how different land-cover scenarios lead to trade-offs across land-use priorities, and (3) identify leverage points and possible policy measures to promote the use domestic wood in Swiss construction.

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