‘Plyscrapers’: Timber makes the cut for sustainable architecture
Sustainable architecture is hopping on the timber train by embracing mass timber as an alternative to concrete and steel. Who wood have thought?! Wood has been used for building homes across the world for millennia, but it is only more recently that big-scale builders have started to incorporate wood for creating what is fondly referred to as ‘plyscrapers’.
According to Naturally:Wood, state-of-the art technology is used to glue, nail, or dowel wood products together in layers. This process creates large structural panels, posts and beams (also known as “mass timber”), which are exceptionally strong and versatile.
Although it is more expensive to build with mass timber (for now) when compared to concrete or steel, there are various long-term benefits to consider. Firstly, timber can trap carbon even after the tree has been cut. Creating Tomorrow's Forests explains that, by acting as a carbon sink, timber is able to prevent carbon from being released back into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. As carbon dioxide significantly contributes to the greenhouse effect — by trapping radiation and preventing the earth from cooling down — you can see the appeal. According to this United Nations report, building and construction are the cause of nearly 40% of global energy-related CO2 emissions and 36% of energy consumption, respectively. Another appeal of timber is that the overall emissions impact of incorporating it in architecture is immensely low by comparison to that of concrete and steel, even offsetting carbon altogether in some cases.
Of course, wood won’t cut it for everyone, and there are possible downsides to incorporating mass timber in architecture. For one, this article notes how timber may not be the “ultimate renewable” that many think it to be. Some countries such as Australia are importers of construction timber, “and there aren’t enough softwood plantations nationwide to fill its future needs”. According to available European timber import statistics of 2017, Germany is one of the largest importers of timber on home soil, with an import value of nearly $9 billion. The UK came in second with an import value of $6.9 billion, and Italy took the third spot with $4.5 billion.
Reservations against timber in the architecture world have been shown by the likes of the Build with Strength coalition, who told Vox that timber is “rickety, highly flammable, and environmentally unsustainable.” However, as Vox notes, it should be kept in mind that Build with Strength is sponsored by the concrete industry.
Although opting for timber architecture surely won’t fix the world’s climate challenges in the blink of an eye, it certainly is a step in the right direction. Plus, it’s more appealing to look at than you might think. Just take a look at these proposed skyscrapers, the airports that are taking timber to new heights, and the beautiful, minimalistic timber designs that are taking London by storm.
