The international construction industry is moving away from carbon- producing materials, such as steel and concrete, in favour of more sustainable materials.
Engineered wood offers a multitude of benefits, including being a more sustainable and cost-effective material while offering shortened construction time with customisable, stronger and uniform panels.
According to the United Nations Environment Programme, the built environment accounts for 39% of gross yearly carbon emissions globally. This comprises operational carbon, ongoing carbon emissions from day-to-day use and embodied carbon.
Engineered wood serves as a more sustainable constructionmaterial because timber sequesters carbon, York Timbers chair and University of Pretoria (UP) senior lecturer Dr Schalk Grobbelaar explains.
Trees capture carbon during their growth phase and the wood formed will continue to retain carbon when used in construction.
