Building a Greener Future: Can Wood Construction Meet Ambitious Environmental Targets?
"Exploring the potential and challenges of wood-frame multi-story construction in achieving sustainability goals."
The European Commission is championing the bioeconomy as a solution to critical global challenges. These challenges include reducing our dependency on non-renewable resources and mitigating the increasingly severe impacts of climate change. The construction and building sector, a significant contributor to global environmental strain, holds immense potential for cost-effective solutions. By embracing environmentally conscious practices, this sector can drastically reduce its ecological footprint.
Green building is an increasingly popular approach. It refers to construction methods that prioritize environmental, economic, and social sustainability. Government policies worldwide are beginning to reflect this emphasis, encouraging the adoption of bioeconomy and green building strategies. Many are recognizing the potential of forest-based industries and wood construction to lead the way toward a circular bioeconomy, especially in Nordic countries.
This article will delve into the viability of long-term targets for green building, specifically focusing on wood-frame multi-story construction in Finland. By examining the measures needed to meet these targets, we can gain valuable insights into the future of sustainable construction practices and the role of wood in building a greener future.
What are the Hurdles to Widespread Adoption of Wood Construction?
While the advantages of wood construction are well-documented, the industry faces several challenges in breaking established patterns and achieving ambitious sustainability targets. A study was conducted using Delphi backcasting techniques to identify viable public and private sector measures for pursuing selected green building targets. The study focused on three interlinked targets for 2030:
- Tripling the market share of wood construction.
- Doubling the value added of woodworking industries.
- Reducing embodied energy and carbon in construction products by 30%.
Looking Ahead: The Future of Sustainable Wood Construction
The study's findings highlight the need for significant changes in the construction and wood product sectors to meet ambitious environmental targets. This requires addressing fragmented industry characteristics, risk aversion, and the need for innovative measures to promote business opportunities in green building. Whether through revised industry targets or reconsidered strategies, the path forward demands a commitment to sustainable practices and a willingness to embrace change.