challenge: how to build a sustainable house with minimal impact on the environment?
solution: eco-friendly buildings made of cross-laminated timber.
Buildings have a tremendous impact on the environment, the resource use, and the human health. Against this background, Stora Enso Timber is calling for new thinking on how to reduce the impact of construction materials on the environment.
“We wanted to rethink the modern wood house and asked ourselves: how to make environmentally friendly buildings a reality? To start with the material, wood is renewable and can be recycled at the end of its life cycle. This is a contrast to existing housing materials,” says Gernot Weiss, Product Line Manager for CLT, Stora Enso Wood Products.
Stora Enso has taken advantage of wood’s versatility, cost-effectiveness and sustainability by developing prefabricated cross-laminated timber (CLT) for use in walls, ceilings and roofing. The cross structure is strong and durable and does not shrink or swell significantly. The panels also connect simply and quickly.
“Most of today’s homes are energy-inefficient buildings, causing large energy spillage and high energy bills. But the change has started, and for example in Austria, many architects already apply CLT in new constructions. This type of smart energy-efficient homes also ensure healthier indoor air quality and are cheaper to operate,” states Gernot Weiss.
CLT ready-to-use prefabricated construction elements are packed and delivered to the sites in a suitable form for immediate placement. The builder simply puts them in the right place by a crane, thereby minimising the assembly time and allowing a house to be built in just a few days.
“We are targeting CLT first to Central Europe, and this year we will also enter the UK market. In the private housing market, customers simply see the benefits of energy-efficient homes, while for government and municipal building projects, the carbon footprint has become a major issue,” Gernot Weiss explains.
