Mainstreaming Wood in Construction: A Holistic Approach

Blog

Aug 20

The building sector is one of the highest CO2 emitters, and thanks to modern technologies, using more sustainable construction materials can help deliver net-zero emissions as well as good housing. Using timber would not only increase carbon storage in our buildings, but would also avoid the CO2 emissions of conventional building materials such as concrete - which is still the default.

Emma, a senior urban planner in Zurich, is explaining to her elderly uncle about the challenge she faces in her work – she has been asked to develop a vision for low-cost urban housing that is carbon neutral, attractive, and of high quality. Her uncle, who has worked as a forester in the Alps his entire life, recalls how they harvested wood for villagers, who traditionally built wooden houses in the village, some of which have been standing for centuries. He knows that wood construction is a perfectly viable construction material.

Wood or Concrete?

With her background in architecture, Emma is aware of the significant advancements in wood construction over recent decades. Today, large wooden bridges and 100-story high-rise buildings have proven to be feasible. However, given that wood is not yet a mainstream material in the construction industry, with concrete still being the preferred choice because it is cheap, people know it and its versatile. Emma consults various experts in the wood supply chain to find out how to stimulate the use wood in her urban development plans.

Increasing The Wood Supply

She begins her research by consulting Mr. Beam, an employee at a wood construction firm. Mr. Beam explains, "To build more with wood, we need to grow more softwoods, such as pine trees. These trees grow quickly and provide the long, straight timber, which is essential for construction. By increasing the production of such wood, we can facilitate the construction of more wooden buildings."

Balancing the need for biodiversity and plantations

Emma also consults with the Cantonal Forestry Department, where Dr. Oak offers a different perspective. Dr. Oak explains, "Switzerland produces a significant amount of wood annually. While a portion of this is softwood, such as pine trees, a substantial amount is hardwood, such as oak and chestnut. This biodiversity is crucial for the long-term survival of our forests and landscape. With climate change, monocultures are at a substantial risk for pests, and drought conditions can disproportionately affect growth, potentially decimating entire wood stocks in a short period. A bioeconomy relying on monocultural forests appears risky and unsustainable, with the possibility of catastrophic consequences for the wood construction industry. Instead of focusing solely on softwood, we should optimize the use of our resources by incorporating hardwood into construction, rather than exporting it or using it for energy production."

Industrie’s transition from softwood to hardwood

The concept of utilizing both hardwood and softwood aligns with the natural progression of Swiss forests. Emma consults with Industry experts, who inform her that sawmills are optimized for large scale softwood production. Machines are simply not fit for processing hardwood. Establishing new manufacturing facilities would be both costly, time consuming and requires significant land acquisitions. Furthermore, the economic appeal of selling hardwood for energy production is currently enhanced by state subsidies, making it a more attractive option.

The political challange

As the situation becomes increasingly complex, Emma turns to the Federal Policy Department for guidance. She poses a question to Ms. Green, a politician: "Given the federal ambitions to reduce CO2 emissions by 2050, it seems logical to reallocate subsidies from hardwood used for energy production and instead incentivize the use of hardwood in construction. Why not?" Ms. Green explains that the issue is not so straightforward. She notes that if subsidies are directed towards achieving Net Zero goals, wood in construction must compete with Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technologies, which are emerging as promising and cost-effective solutions. To justify reallocating subsidies, it would be necessary to demonstrate that the use of wood in construction offers benefits beyond merely contributing to Net Zero objectives.

MainWood: tackeling the full wood supply chain

Emma’s journey highlights the need for a holistic view of environmental challenges. Achieving net-zero emissions involves more than just adopting new technologies; it requires a deep understanding of complex interactions within natural and built environments. The issue is a “wicked problem” where solutions in one area can lead to unintended consequences in another.

To navigate these complexities, Emma turns to the MainWood project, an initiative that analyzes Switzerland’s wood supply chain from a systems perspective. MainWood is directly engaging with stakeholders in the wood processing and construction sectors to understand the challenges they face and how these challenges intersect or conflict with net-zero goals. They are creating a shared understanding of the wood supply chain using workshops where construction enterprises, sawmills, foresters, and public administrators can discuss their perspectives. This shared understanding helps identify the main dynamics of the system with its bottlenecks and leverage points.

Through initiatives like MainWood, Emma hopes to find a sustainable path forward that balances the competing needs of a sustainable bioeconomy with the ambitious goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.