flexiblefullpage
billboard
interstitial1
catfish1
Currently Reading

High projected demand for new housing prompts debate on best climate-friendly materials

High projected demand for new housing prompts debate on best climate-friendly materials

Different views on wood’s sustainability muddies the picture.


By Peter Fabris, Contributing Editor | September 23, 2022
New Wood Construction
Courtesy Pexels.

The number of people living in cities could increase to 80% of the total population by 2100. That could require more new construction between now and 2050 than all the construction done since the start of the industrial revolution.

The influx of urban dwellers could be accommodated in mid-rise buildings from 4 to 12 stories tall made out of wood, according to lead author of a study by Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research. Wood is a renewable resource that usually carries the lowest carbon footprint of any comparable, first-time use building material, the study asserted.

Moreover, carbon stored in wood, absorbed from atmospheric CO2 via photosynthesis, makes the material a long-term carbon sink. To accommodate demand for urban housing, though, a lot of wood would be needed. Wooden cities of the future would require a 149-million hectare increase in tree plantations by 2100 and more harvesting from unprotected natural forests.

One problem, some environmentalists say, is that tree plantations have less biodiversity than natural forests. Some green advocates are also critical of harvesting more wood from diverse natural forests.

Natural, biodiverse forests are more resilient to drought, fires and disease, one environmental advocate noted, and pointed out that numerous tree plantations have burned this year as record temperatures and drought impacted many areas across the globe.
 

Related Stories

| Jan 9, 2015

Santiago Calatrava talks with BBC about St. Nicholas Church on Ground Zero

Calatrava reveals that he wanted to retain the “tiny home” feel of the original church building that was destroyed with the twin towers on 9/11.

Smart Buildings | Jan 7, 2015

NIBS report: Small commercial buildings offer huge energy efficiency retrofit opportunities

The report identifies several barriers to investment in such retrofits, such as the costs and complexity associated with relatively small loan sizes, and issues many small-building owners have in understanding and trusting predicted retrofit outcomes.

| Jan 7, 2015

University of Chicago releases proposed sites for Obama library bid

There are two proposed sites for the plan, both owned by the Chicago Park District in Chicago’s South Side, near the university’s campus in Hyde Park, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

| Jan 7, 2015

4 audacious projects that could transform Houston

Converting the Astrodome to an urban farm and public park is one of the proposals on the table in Houston, according to news site Houston CultureMap.

| Jan 6, 2015

Snøhetta unveils design proposal of the Barack Obama Presidential Center Library for the University of Hawaii

The plan by Snøhetta and WCIT Architecture features a building that appears square from the outside, but opens at one corner into a rounded courtyard with a pool, Dezeen reports.

| Jan 2, 2015

S&ME to acquire Littlejohn

Companies plan to join forces, combining their strengths to create a leading engineering, design, planning, environmental and construction services firm.

| Dec 19, 2014

Zaha Hadid unveils dune-shaped HQ for Emirati environmental management company

Zaha Hadid Architects released designs for the new headquarters of Emirati environmental management company Bee’ah, revealing a structure that references the shape and motion of a sand dune.

| Dec 18, 2014

International Parking Institute and Green Parking Council collaborate with GBCI

The new collaboration recognizes importance of sustainable parking facility design and management to the built environment.

| Dec 17, 2014

USGBC announces 2014 Best of Green Schools honorees

Houston's Monarch School was named the K-12 school of the year, and Western Michigan University was honored as the top higher-ed institution, based on environmental programs and education efforts.

| Dec 17, 2014

ULI report looks at growing appeal of micro unit apartments

New research from the Urban Land Institute suggests that micro units have staying power as a housing type that appeals to urban dwellers in high-cost markets who are willing to trade space for improved affordability and proximity to downtown neighborhoods.

boombox1
boombox2
native1

More In Category




halfpage1

Most Popular Content

  1. 2021 Giants 400 Report
  2. Top 150 Architecture Firms for 2019
  3. 13 projects that represent the future of affordable housing
  4. Sagrada Familia completion date pushed back due to coronavirus
  5. Top 160 Architecture Firms 2021