Amid a global pandemic, there’s understandably a lot of focus on the now. But the importance of listening to scientific advice is clearer than ever, and this includes tackling the climate change crisis. The next ten years are probably the most pivotal that humanity has ever faced.
We urgently need to rethink long-held ideas and re-engage with our planet. For people involved in construction, this includes losing our love affair with concrete. But brilliantly, mother nature has a solution. A carbon store and construction material combined: wood.
The construction, refurbishment and management of buildings is responsible for around 40% of all greenhouse gas emissions, about a third of landfill and about 60% of materials use1. The places where we spend time also have a huge impact on our mental and physical health.
As thought leaders for construction, architects must be part of the solution and not part of the problem. This means designing straightforward, honest, low carbon buildings, buildings that are adaptable and celebrate simple things like materials and light. Places that make people happier, healthier and more productive.
Waugh Thistleton have been designing timber buildings for 20 years, including one of the first cross laminated timber (CLT) buildings in the UK. We’ve done research for governments internationally into switching construction over to timber. The potential benefits are massive.
Trees are the perfect carbon store
Trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, keep the carbon and release the oxygen. They’re the perfect carbon store. Almost 50% of the dry mass of a tree is carbon2. And when you cut it down to produce timber, you lock that carbon in a building.
There are all these crazy ideas about blasting carbon into space or burying it under the sea, whereas what we need to do is grow more trees. It really is that simple. We’ve been wearing T-shirts saying that for years; it’s gaining traction now, which is exciting. Put that alongside the whole life approach to carbon that companies like British Land are starting to take and it gives me optimism for the future.
Healthier and happier
Think about how much time you spend indoors and how unhealthy some buildings feel. Now imagine being in a building made of natural materials. It’s well documented that people who live or work in timber buildings are healthier, with lower stress levels, lower heart rates and better concentration levels3. They’re generally happier and their productivity goes up. Wooden buildings are good for us.
It’s the same on construction sites too. A timber work site is a safer, happier environment than a concrete one. Constructing with prefabricated timber elements is an accurate, precise process. So, there’s a more professional, happier atmosphere, with less bashing, dust and noise. And you’re working with a lighter material. The difference is tangible. Also, it smells pine fresh, like someone’s been around with the air freshener!
Easier to adapt
Timber buildings are much easier to adapt than concrete, which is good for longevity and a circular approach. British Land’s 6 Orsman Road is a great example of this. When we needed to put in a new staircase, a carefully cut space was created and the stair installed. We also took particular care to make the staircase especially beautiful to encourage people to take the stairs rather than the lifts.
We then used the timber we’d taken out of the floor to make pieces of furniture in the building. Nothing was thrown away and it was all done in about ten days. On a concrete site, that same job would have involved jackhammers, grinders, dust, waste and more time.
Giving trees a value
All the timber that we use is PEFC or FSC certified. This means that the forests it comes from are well-managed, sustainably harvested forests. For every tree that’s cut down, multiple trees are planted.
When you give trees a value, then people will plant more, inevitably. Deforestation is not caused by people using trees for CLT. Over 90% of timber used in UK construction comes from Europe, where more trees are grown than harvested4.
Constantly trying to do better
It is a complex situation. For instance, if a large proportion of the supply chain suddenly switched to timber then there wouldn’t currently be enough sustainable forest to fulfil demand. But I think that we’ll come up with innovative solutions. Architects are imaginative and resilient. Commercial construction is dynamic and creative. And having clients like British Land gives you faith. In architecture, you’re taught that you can only make a good building with a great client. British Land’s a truly great client. They really care about their product and how they do things, working closely with you. It’s a joint effort.
My mum told me you should start an architecture practice with an ethos, and central to our ethos is to be part of a solution to climate change, constantly inquisitive and constantly trying to do better. If we can begin to make a difference with our buildings, then the cultural influence that we could have is massive. This is a real opportunity for architecture to show its value.
6 Orsman Road, Haggerston N1, where British Land is working on its first cross laminated timber building with Waugh Thistleton Architects.
- Global Status Report (2017). UK GBC Circular Economy Guide (2019).
- http://www.fao.org/forestry/17111/en/
- https://makeitwood.org/healthandwellbeing
- Timber Trade Federation Statistical Review (2016).