UPM-Biofore-Magazine-2-2019

U-BUILD aims to transform the way people think about buildings and the way they are built, by enabling anyone to participate.

PUTTING A ROOF

TEXT Janne Suokas PHOTOGRAPHY Studio Bark, Lenny Codd; Dook; Sumimoto Forestry; UPM on carbon

Sceptics sometimes claim that timber construction is not environmentally sustainable. This is a flagrant misconception, for in reality, compared to the cradle-to-grave lifecycle of materials such as concrete, brick and steel, wood significantly reduces the carbon footprint of construction. Studies have even shown that building a block of flats using wood reduces the structure’s carbon footprint by up to 75%. Trees absorb carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) as they grow, acting as carbon sinks. Like any product processed or built from wood, wooden buildings do the same: they store carbon. One wooden house absorbs up to 50 tons of CO 2 during its useful life. In the future, building regulations may even incorporate new requirements on the carbon footprint of buildings. Wood is the only building material that regenerates itself in nature. It is important, however, that the wood is appropriately certified and sourced from responsibly and sustainably managed forests.

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WHAT’S THE SPECIES?

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