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https://theconversation.com/tall-timber-buildings-are-exciting-but-to-shrink-constructions-carbon-footprint-we-need-to-focus-on-the-less-sexy-middle-188143>
"Developer Thrive Construct recently announced the world’s tallest steel-timber
hotel to be built at Victoria Square, Adelaide. Australia has caught onto the
trend of building taller in timber, with other plans for three buildings
180-220 metres high submitted in Perth and Sydney. These would more than double
the current world record for a timber building.
Tall timber buildings, made entirely of mass timber (layers of wood bonded
together) or steel-timber and timber-concrete hybrid construction, are gaining
popularity worldwide. Every couple of months a yet taller timber building seems
to pop up somewhere. My colleagues and I joke that we have stopped trying to
keep up.
Timber is a sustainable, renewable material that stores carbon while in use,
and the appeal of using it in skyscrapers is clear. But I worry that focusing
only on the tall means we overlook the “middle”: apartment buildings,
hospitals, schools and shopping centres. Buildings like these are dominated by
concrete, steel and brick, all of which are carbon- or energy-intensive
materials.
The “middle” is not sexy, and probably won’t make the news, but it’s where
timber construction can have a significant sustainability impact.
A 2017 study found Australia’s construction sector is responsible for 18% of
the country’s carbon footprint. Current emissions are expected to double by
2050 if we don’t change the way we build.
Change is challenging. Developers and designers favour familiar construction
materials and methods where cost estimates are straightforward. Timber requires
a change of thinking and early contractor involvement to be cost-competitive.
But if we truly want to do something about our nation’s carbon footprint, the
whole construction industry urgently needs to shift, with Australian government
support, towards renewable, low-carbon construction materials and methods. This
means to
build with timber if we can, use steel and concrete if we must."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
