Wood has been taking on an increasingly important role in modern architecture. In addition to its natural characteristics of strength, beauty, durability, thermal and acoustic efficiency, resistance to fire and earthquakes, wood currently has the answer to one of the greatest challenges of our time: sustainability.

Ten good reasons to prefer wood

Using wood products helps preserve forests

Sustainably managed forests exhibit a rise in overall forest mass, with tree growth rates significantly surpassing those of tree removal.

Wood serves as a carbon sink, absorbing carbon from the atmosphere

When growing, a tree absorbs almost one ton of CO2 for every cubic meter of growth. This CO2, trapped in the wood, remains out of the atmosphere even when the wood is transformed into a finished product. In this way, wood makes a strong contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases.

Wood is a renewable and versatile material

Wood, as a material, has the potential to be transformed into various products throughout its lifespan.

Wood is a strong and resistant material

Wood is the building material with the highest ductability. This characteristic allows the wood to be elastic and withstand extreme conditions, such as earthquakes. In the tragic earthquake in Haiti (2010), some of the buildings that withstood the catastrophe had wooden structures. On the other hand, the reconstruction of the city of L'Aquila in Italy, which also suffered a violent earthquake in 2009, is being carried out over time on the basis of hi-tech engineered wood products.

Wood is beautiful

Wood offers the comfort, warmth, beauty, and opportunity for creativity that is unmatched by any other building material.

Wood is an excellent thermal and acoustic insulator

Buildings that use wood as a construction element save energy and CO2; as a thermal insulator, wood is 15 times better than concrete, 400 times better than steel and 1770 times better than aluminium. Wood is a competitive solution when it comes to projects where thermal efficiency is an unquestionable requirement.

Wood is durable

Wood was one of the first building materials used by man, and all over the world, we can find millenary wooden constructions that have endured to this day.

Timber structures can have a high level of prefabrication

The wood products currently on the market make it possible to prefabricate factory constructions, reducing costs and the need for labor and minimizing the impact on the site.

Wood is free from rust

Wood retains its natural look for a long time.

Wood resists to fire, better than steel

Unlike steel which, when subjected to high temperatures, melts and causes the structure to collapse in a short time, wood chars slowly, from the outside in, allowing the evacuation of the building.

Experts confirm: wood in structural construction has excellent fire resistance properties.

Learn more in this article from the ArchDaily website.

Each of us has a role to play, contributing to the preservation of the planet and ensuring a better quality of life for future generations.

How?

Being responsible

It is up to each of us to choose ecologically responsible lifestyles and materials.

Choose wood instead of other materials

In addition to its natural characteristics, wood is the cleanest production material: land, water and solar energy are sufficient.

Sustainable wood

Choose certified wood products from sustainably managed forests.

Recycle wood products

Any wood product can be used again, prolonging the “carbon sponge” effect.

Using clean energy

Wood waste can be used in energy production (e.g. as biomass), replacing fossil fuels.