These approaches can significantly contribute to reducing the carbon footprint of buildings through more efficient designs and the use of sustainable materials.. 3.. Passivhaus as a sustainability benchmark:.

The impact of the timber industry on the natural environment.To meet increased demand for engineered timber, we need to carefully consider land availability and the impact on ecosystems..

While sustainable forest management (FSC or PEFC) is the best tool available to ensure a reasonable exploitation of timber, these certifications aren’t perfect.Natural forests are complex biodiverse ecosystems that capture carbon, not just in trees but also within soil.A ‘tree plantation’ unlike a forest, may not enhance biodiversity and may have a reduced capacity to store carbon in the soil.. One major risk related to carbon accounting and forest management is that Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) may not adequately account for the carbon released from decaying root net and from the soil when cutting trees.

This can be largely underestimated for most timber products.. We must also acknowledge that sustainable foresting cannot produce enough timber to respond to global construction needs.Engineered timber cannot substitute or offset the use of concrete and steel but its use should be prioritised in the right type of buildings.. Our response is to:.

- Ensure timber specified is of a sustainable nature, by using PEFC or FSC certification schemes.. - Have a critical view about sustainable forest management and explore alternatives.. - Interrogate timber manufacturers on their root and soil carbon accounting.. Acoustic performance.

When designing with engineered timber special attention is required to reduce vibrations, noise transmission and reverberation time..Both methods have been used at commercial scale with ‘undisputable technical and operational success for decades’ in the North Sea, North America, Australia and elsewhere.

Naturally, this isn’t a closed loop; feedstock will always need to be provided.But given that, as of 2019, carbon feedstock equated to 58% of the usage of carbon-based materials like crude oil and other fossil fuels in the industry, it would be a positive step to use carbon capture to reduce the amount required, and therefore begin to lower the carbon footprint of the industrial plastic produced using these methods..

Chemicals such as formaldehyde and potassium carbonate that are used in the production of plastics such as PEEK, POM, PTFE, and PVDF can be produced with captured carbon dioxide instead of fresh carbon feedstock.By reducing the need for carbon feedstock by reusing captured CO. 2. , we will make progress toward a carbon neutral synthesis of industrial plastics..