Swedish engineers are looking to go back to a time before bricks and reinforced concrete, building impressive skyscrapers out of wood.
The Sara Cultural Center is built largely from wood. Photo: White Arkitekter
The move to plywood is bringing sustainability to the construction industry. Contractors have just completed a proof-of-concept project called the $110 million Sara Cultural Center in Skelleftea, Sweden, Business Insider reported on November 1. They were looking to create a “brave building,” according to Robert Schmitz, principal architect at White Arkitekter, the firm behind the project. Nearly every part of the Sara Center is built from prefabricated wood. The building features large auditoriums and expansive views. Visitors to the center can use the public library, ballroom, and three theaters.
At least in Sweden’s heavily forested regions, timber construction is the future of sustainable building for a number of reasons, say engineers. Such buildings don’t rely on concrete. Emissions associated with the building material are becoming a bigger source of carbon dioxide than most other factors due to increasing demand and scale of production. Cement production accounts for about 8% of global CO2 emissions, according to research from the University of Rochester. Timber buildings also don’t rely on steel, which accounts for about 7% to 9% of the world’s CO2 emissions.
White Arkitekter says its construction process is carbon neutral, with the building itself storing nearly 9,100 tonnes of CO2, enough to offset the carbon emissions from transporting and constructing the structure. In addition, Sara engineers have ensured the building’s safety by using fire-resistant cladding.
Glued laminated timber is a wood product made from small pieces of solid wood (strips) glued together. It is made up of at least four strips or panels of sawn wood, up to 30, 45 or 60 mm thick, with the grain direction running along the length of the product.
The trend toward wooden buildings is not limited to Sweden. Across Europe, Asia and the United States, wood is becoming an increasingly popular building material, driven in part by the need to address climate change. The United States is also starting to take wood construction into account when it comes to building codes. According to Reuters, the use of plywood in the United States could increase significantly in the future.
An Khang (According to Business Insider )
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