Region Archives: International

With the advent of the Olympic Games in Paris—after an entire century—just around the corner, the historically and culturally rich suburbs of Saint-Denis prepare for a grand welcome with the award-winning Aquatics Centre. Designed by Cécilia Gross of VenhoevenCS and Laure Mériaud of Ateliers 2/3/4/, it is the sole permanent building out of all the new structures built to host the Games. …The project is a part of Paris’ urban renewal strategy, aspiring to contribute to a longstanding legacy for the neighbourhood and beyond. …The building features inclined walls sheathed in horizontal wooden members—creating a warm, inviting facade design. The form of the expansive wooden roof resembles a gentle wave, reflecting the fluidity of the pool on the floor. …Using bio-sourced wood as a construction material brings warmth and comfort to the arena while addressing the structural, aesthetic, acoustic, energy, social and urban concerns. 

TORONTO and PUERTO VALLARTA, Mexico – Soft N Dry Diapers Corp. and its subsidiary Soft N Dry de México, is proud to announce the far-reaching global success of their Tree Free disposable baby diapers across global media outlets, emphasizing the interest and growing demand for sustainable new products. Reaching a combined audience of 440 million, the press releases on May 29 and June 18, 2024, following recent expansions into Brazil and Argentina, were featured by 1,083 established media outlets in the last 30-days across Canada, the United States, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, and throughout Latin America. Soft N Dry’s entry into Brazil and Argentina underscores its commitment to sustainability and high-performance baby care products. The company’s proprietary ecoFlex Core technology eliminates the need for cellulosic tree fibers in diapers. This innovation not only conserves natural resources but also offers superior absorbency and cost-efficiency, making eco-friendly options more accessible and affordable.

NEW SOUTH WALES, Australia — The electricity network that covers 95% of NSW is phasing out wooden power poles, sparking a fight with the timber industry and the Coalition, but delighting environmentalists campaigning to end native forest logging. The timber poles come almost exclusively from state forests on the Mid North Coast, many of which are likely to become part of the Great Koala National Park promised by the Minns government before the election. …The Australian Forest Products Association (AFPA) says the Mid North Coast provides 90% of power poles in NSW and 70% nationwide. Regional and rural electricity distributor Essential Energy is switching to power poles made from a fibreglass and resin composite with a UV coating to boost bushfire resilience. A spokesperson said reducing the impact of natural disasters on customers was a key driver since burnt power poles can cause “loss of vital communications links.

South Australian-sourced timber will form the backbone of two of the state’s new technical colleges – simultaneously reducing the carbon impact of the construction work and supporting the state’s $3 billion forestry industry. The Malinauskas Government’s new technical colleges at Tonsley and Mount Gambier will both be constructed with timber sourced from Timberlink Australia’s new $70 million NeXTimber manufacturing facility at Tarpeena in the state’s south east. The plant is Australia’s only combined Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and Glue Laminated Timber (GLT) manufacturing facility and is located adjacent to Timberlink’s state-of-the-art sawmill. …The technical college at Mount Gambier, which is due to begin construction in early 2025, will be co-located in the research and education precinct alongside the existing TAFE and the new Forestry Centre of Excellence. The State Government has committed $208 million to five technical colleges.

Zara parent company Inditex has joined environmental nonprofit Canopy’s Pack4Good initiative to eliminate materials from endangered and ancient forests from its paper packaging, according to a Monday news release from Canopy. Inditex committed to another Canopy initiative designed to eliminate the use of those materials in its textiles a decade ago, per Canopy. Partners in the Pack4Good campaign focus on sustainable alternatives to logging ancient and endangered forests, which Canopy said includes using recycled pulp and paper, next generation solutions and receiving a certification from the Forest Stewardship Council, an independent nonprofit focused on protecting forests. …Canopy has previously partnered with H&M Group and LVMH to remove pulp-based materials such as viscose from the supply chain to protect ancient and endangered forests. 

Blair Boyer and Clare Scriven

South Australian-sourced timber will form the backbone of two of the state’s new technical colleges – simultaneously reducing the carbon impact of the construction work and supporting the state’s $3 billion forestry industry. The Malinauskas Government’s new technical colleges at Tonsley and Mount Gambier will both be constructed with timber sourced from Timberlink Australia’s new $70 million NeXTimber manufacturing facility at Tarpeena in the state’s south east. The plant is Australia’s only combined Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) and Glue Laminated Timber (GLT) manufacturing facility and is located adjacent to Timberlink’s state-of-the-art sawmill. …Structures using this timber can be built up to 12 storeys and even taller when combined with other materials in a hybrid timber construction.

British Wool has announced an investment in NexGen Tree Shelters, a firm specialising in biodegradable tree shelters, hedging and vole guards made from British wool. The investment will enable NexGen to start production of its eco-friendly tree shelters, which have undergone development and testing since winning the Innovation in Wool award in 2020. The new partnership will launch NexGen’s products from development to market, with an overall aim of enhancing sustainability, eliminating single-use plastics and driving demand for British wool. …The tree shelters are made from British wool, a polyol made from ethically sourced natural and renewable products and an innovative custom polymer. They are bio-based and environmentally degradable, breaking down gradually by microbial action and environmental degradation to feed the soil and support the ecosystem surrounding the tree.

In 2009, Waugh Thistleton Architects oversaw the completion of Murray Grove, a nine-storey residential block with a superstructure of cross-laminated timber (CLT). …However … many argue that structural timber became a perceived risk in the post-Grenfell legislative review. In 2022 the Department of Levelling Up, Housing and Communities ruled – after a period of consultation – that structural timber was approved for use within the external walls of buildings between 11 and 18 metres. …using structural timber has once again become a focal topic. So much so, the task of de-risking the material and changing perception both inside and out of the profession is well under way. …Founder and Director of Waugh Thistleton, Anthony Thistleton-Smith, says there is a huge appetite to building in timber…. And not just for the carbon savings – further potential advantages include speed of construction, safety with deliveries, impact on local environments and – in his opinion – higher quality buildings.

In 2022, energy-related carbon dioxide emissions from building operations and construction hit a new high, rising to 10 gigatonnes, according to a recent report from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). That is 37 per cent of global carbon dioxide emissions. “Reducing the carbon footprint of our homes, offices and other buildings will be essential to meet the targets of the Paris Agreement and averting a climate catastrophe,” said Ruth Coutto, Acting Chief of Climate Mitigation at UNEP. She added that reducing building emissions must be part of a larger, more ambitious global effort to counter climate change. …Global building sector emissions are still rising, jumping one per cent between 2021 and 2022, found the Global Status Report for Buildings and Construction. While that might not seem like much, it is equivalent to adding 10 million cars to the world’s roads. The report finds the sector remains off track to achieve decarbonization by 2050.

United Kingdom — Talk to any modern architect and chances are the subject of ‘social responsibility’ will arise at some point in the conversation. In the past, this likely referred to the curious idea that through the built environment architects could transcend mere practical concerns and be engineers of social change. In 2017, ‘social responsibility’ has more often come to mean sustainable buildings with a low-carbon footprint and in harmony with their natural surroundings. Maggie’s Oldham satisfies both sets of criteria. The building, which offers practical and emotional support to people living with cancer, is the first in the world to be made from hardwood cross-laminated timber (CLT). Designed by dRMM Architects with support from the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), it is constructed from tulipwood. Pioneered by dRMM, AHEC and design and engineering consultancy Arup, tulipwood is around 70% stronger in bending than a typical CLT-grade softwood.

NEW ZEALAND — A new 11-storey mass timber building—set to become NZ’s tallest commercial timber building—could rise in downtown Auckland after James Kirkpatrick Group lodged plans to redevelop 538 and 582 Karahgahape Rd (colloquially known as K-Rd) in the city district. According to a developer statement, the new tower is part of a push to “regenerate the site from a demolished, end-of-lift building into a robust and legible urban structure that can stand for the next 50 years.” James Kirkpatrick Jnr, the group CEO, said the building will… “encourage a high-quality tenant in line with some of the green initiatives required for their businesses or their clients”. Wood Central understands that the building will target a 6 Star Green Star rating, with Kirkpatrick turning to mass timber as an alternative to concrete, reducing emissions and the weight of the building.

EUROPE — PEFC’s Fashion from Sustainable Forests survey… found that 74% of consumers surveyed believe it’s important that clothes made from forest-derived fibres (known as MMCF, which stands for man-made cellulosic fibres) are sourced from sustainably managed forests. But only 25% of those surveyed believe brands are effectively addressing their concerns over the environmental impact of clothing made from these fibres. Some 71% of consumers would like to see a certification label and 59% would be willing to pay more for a garment made from a certified material. …That said, MMCFs are growing in popularity. PEFC said the MMCF market is predicted to grow from 6 billion to 10 billion tonnes over the next 15 years. Regulation means the industry needs to get on board too. The EU’s deforestation regulation (EUDR) is due to be enforced from the start of 2025, but recent research reveals that only 12% of brands currently publish time-bound measurable commitments to deforestation.