Why building in wood instead of concrete? A key question to the counteract climate change.

Before we start searching for alternatives we should understand why, cement, the most widely used construction material in the world, is a major contributor to climate change. The chemical and thermal combustion processes involved in the production of cement are a large source of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Each year, more than 4 billion tonnes of cement are produced, accounting for around 8 percent of global CO2 emissions (1).

To bring the cement sector in line with the Paris Agreement on climate change, its annual emissions will need to fall by at least 16 percent by 2030 (2)(3), in contrast to the need for a million more homes by 2050.

The solution might be CLT – Cross Laminated Timber - what does not cause emissions, but instead stores CO2. CLT, is constructed prefab and therefore minimizes construction time. Because the extremely strong and fire-resistant characteristics of CLT, it can even realize high-rise buildings and for that reason is nicknamed "the new concrete".