Using Wood Well
Better Metrics for Better Use
The demand for resources is rising and, at the same time, pressure also increasing on natural systems with absolute planetary thresholds now being exceeded. The future sustainability of the forestry and timber industries will depend on how it meets this increasing demand, help transition away from extractive material use, whilst supporting natural
system restoration, managing increasing risks to forest sources and navigating demands on land use requirements (SDG 11 and 15).
The current focus on climate action (SDG 13) can mean that the related scale of primary
resource flows gets lost. Equally, to achieve the ambition of sustainable production, consumption and circulation of resources (SDG12), making wood products last at least as long as they take to grow to help store carbon in buildings needs emphasising. This practice-facing research therefore aligns to the Forestry and Climate Leaders programme
(FCLP) action areas of land use, sustainable supply chains and scaling carbon markets.
Whilst the construction industry is taking steps to explain why and where it should use wood, it also needs to be suggesting how much and how long to expect to use it i.e. how to use wood well. This proposal aims to focus on these two issues and develop simple metrics to demonstrate what using wood well looks like.
PROJECT TEAM
ICD Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart
Hana Svatos-Raznjevic, Hans Jakob Wagner, Prof. A. Menges