First and foremost, sustainability means to stop using up resources. The future can only lie in renewable resources. This is no different for energy than for raw materials and building materials, and timber is a renewable raw material.

Timber offers huge benefits over cement and steel for sustainable construction with tomorrow in mind. Moreover, building with timber holds the key to the sustainable transformation of the construction industry. Hardly any building material is more effective when it comes to reducing CO₂ and cutting emissions than timber - while also being cost-efficient.

Benefits of Timber as a Building Material

Timber is 100 percent renewable. It’s a valuable, high-performance material that is strong and durable, yet also flexible to use. What’s more, timber captures the spirit of the times and appeals to the growing number of people who long for a healthy closeness to nature.

• Sustainability

Timber is a sustainable material in many respects. It grows back, absorbs CO₂, is less energy-intensive to process and can be recycled.

• Cost-effective

Timber is easier to work with than cement and steel. In addition, the sustainable buildings created with it are ready for use more quickly, which in turn minimises construction costs.

• Uncomplicated

Timber requires less effort when it comes to processing raw material into building materials and on-site processing, i.e. directly on the building site. Less waste is generated and the delivery routes are normally shorter. Timber is lighter and therefore easier to stack and lift than steel and concrete. In short, timber accelerates construction.

• Durable

Some of the oldest buildings in the world are made of timber. Whether in its original form or modified, timber can stand the test of time. It can also be recycled and take on new functions within a sustainable building.

• Natural

Timber is a natural product that gives people the feeling of being close to nature. Not only does timber feel good; it also promotes a sense of well-being, which is crucial for places where people live and work.

Liveable places enable people to lead happy and fulfilling lives both physically and mentally. They’re sustainable and future-oriented while protecting the environment and the climate. With its potential to minimise emissions, timber fits perfectly into this concept and is an ideal material for creating liveable places and liveable buildings.

• Resilient

Reservations against the use of an organic building material are often outdated. Contrary to the idea that timber frame buildings are exposed to a greater fire risk, studies have long proven that the core of large structural timbers is protected in the event of fire by the charring of its outer later, so that a fire rarely destroys load-bearing structures.

Weather resistance and durability can also be guaranteed with proper, modern processing of timber.

Disadvantages of Steel and Cement

The 19th century was the century of steel while the 20th century was the century of cement. But both have disadvantages that timber, the material of the 21st century, doesn’t have:

• Weight

Timber only weighs about one fifth of concrete. As a result, significantly less steel is required for fastening, while the mass required for the foundations can be reduced by 30 to 45 percent.

• Manpower

The processing of cement and steel in construction requires many workers in welding, casting, plastering and masonry.

• CO₂

The production of cement and steel already generates a lot of greenhouse gases (embodied carbon). The same applies to processing in construction, which almost always requires heavy equipment. On the other hand, wood absorbs CO₂ in the long run - one cubic metre of wood absorbs about 800kg CO₂. This way, timber frame buildings can become carbon sinks and be climate positive.

According to a recent study, cumulative emissions from steel and cement production could be permanently reduced by around 50% and thus make a decisive contribution to achieving climate targets.

• Other natural resources

Iron, stone and sand, which are essential for steel and cement production, are non-renewable raw materials. Put simply, this means that what’s gone is gone. In addition, the processing of these raw materials can cause considerable pollution of the air and water.

The Best Building Material: Engineered Timber

Engineered timber such as CLT (cross-laminated timber) is ideal for use in sustainable architecture and construction.

It’s versatile and durable, and is used in both low-rise and high-rise buildings. Its carbon footprint is excellent, provided the timber used comes from the managed, sustainable timber industry. In addition, the timber can be reused at the end of a building’s service life.

Examples of Sustainable Buildings and Timber Frame Architecture

Ramboll has driven the development and creation of more than 100 remarkable timber frame buildings for building construction, architecture and urbanism. In the process, more than 30,000 cubic metres of timber have been used (in some cases instead of steel and cement) and 100,000 m² of buildings have been created.

The contribution of these sustainable buildings, known as “liveable buildings”, to global CO₂ reduction is considerable:

• In the construction of the Open Academy in Norwich, England, the use of CLT instead of steel and concrete saved around 2,900 t of CO₂. This is roughly equivalent to the CO₂ emissions of a car travelling 8.3 million miles. At the time of its opening, the Open Academy was the largest CLT structure in the United Kingdom.
• The Royal Opera House in Copenhagen, designed by Henning Larsen, makes impressive use of a very special timber, both from an aesthetic and functionality perspective: the concert hall has a beautiful, natural maple facade.
• Once completed, the Ör Centrum in Stockholm will be one of the largest building complexes in the world built entirely of timber. On a space spanning 16,000m², 4,200m³ of wood was used, which will absorb 3,000 tons of CO₂. The residential buildings reach a height of up to 32 metres and are home to more than 200 residential units.

Two Conditions for the Success of Timber

The potential of timber as a building material in terms of sustainable transformation is immense. It’s the first choice in the face of increasing pressure to quickly create high-quality, sustainable and cost-effective buildings.

Its contribution to emissions savings and achieving climate targets is great, provided the following conditions are met:

1. Timber must come from sustainably managed forests, where the valuable resource is handled in a careful and prudent manner.
2. The construction industry is encouraged to recycle timber and thus extend its life cycle. “This could result in storing between 10 million tons of carbon per year as a minimum and almost 700 million tons in the best case”, according to the study by an international team of scientists from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany (PIK).