How Timber Skyscrapers May Become Our Cities' Future

 by Hannah Nicholls

Currently, half of all buildings in the world are manufactured from concrete, a material that contributes massively to carbon dioxide emissions. Reinforced concrete was invented in 1854 and has been used in construction ever since. In recent years, institutions such as the University of Cambridge have been researching the use of timber in construction to replace reinforced concrete. In this article, the benefits of using timber as a primary construction material will be discussed.

Cross-Laminated timber is the first material to challenge steel and reinforced concrete as a construction staple. Concrete is about 5 times heavier than timber. The expansive weight of concrete means it is more expensive to buy, transport, and use. The manufacture of concrete contributes hugely to the carbon dioxide emissions into the  atmosphere, and yet it is the second most consumed material - after water. It was statistics like these which encouraged institutions to do further research into construction materials to try and find a cheaper, lighter, and more environmentally friendly alternative. As a result of their research, reinforced timber has been found to be a highly competitive material.

The use of timber to construct our cities and houses allows for both climate change and the global housing shortage to be addressed in one go. Timber is one of the few materials that can be grown, meaning it is largely more sustainable than concrete or steel as well as being much cheaper and more readily available. For every tonne of timber that is grown, approximately 1.8 tonnes of carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere. Europe is filled with sustainable forests that grow massive amounts of timber every second; it can take just 7 seconds for these forests to grow the volume of timber required to construct a 3 bedroom flat, and it can take 4 hours to grow enough timber for a 300m tall skyscraper. Timber is also energy efficient, with natural thermal insulation properties, as well as providing natural acoustic properties such as echo and sound absorption. These properties reduce the need for other materials such as insulation and soundproofing, reducing the overall cost and environmental impact.

Not only is timber more beneficial for the environment, there are also positive psychological impacts of being surrounded by a natural material like wood instead of concrete. A study by Planet Ark in 2015 found that being surrounded by natural materials such as wood at home, work, or school has many positive impacts on the human body, brain, and the overall environment in the area. The study also found that being surrounded by wood can mimic the benefits of spending time outdoors.

Though our current construction materials are sufficient, the consideration of evolving and changing our materials to better protect our environment is a decision that should be considered and implemented.