Category Archives: Wood, Paper & Green Building

Amid growing interest in sustainable construction, CHYBIK + KRISTOF is advancing the position of timber architecture in Central Europe. Titled Forestry in the Forest, the project will serve as the new headquarters for the Czech National Forestry in Hradec Králové and become the Czech Republic‘s largest wooden structure in an effort to shift industry norms and position timber as a viable material for large-scale development. The complex is envisioned as a cluster of five elongated timber volumes … connected through a central hall. …Forestry in the Forest’s structure then makes use of a combination of timber construction methods … to demonstrate wood’s capacity to deliver efficient, durable, and engaging design solutions. …‘The walls are constructed in the two-by-four system; the ceilings, horizontal slabs, built-in subcenters and railings are made of CLT panels; and for the large-span structures wooden glued trusses are used,’ says CHYBIK + KRISTOF.

LONDON – Ambitious new plans to increase the use of timber in construction were announced by Environment Minister Mary Creagh at the Timber in Construction Summit in London. The new Timber in Construction (TiC) Roadmap is being introduced to help get Britain building using timber – creating economic growth, rural jobs and helping meet housebuilding targets in a sustainable way. The TiC Roadmap was first published at the end of 2023. This new and improved version goes even further, highlighting the Government’s ambition to boost the domestic timber industry and kickstart the construction sector without compromising on quality, safety or carbon emissions. …Alex Goodfellow, Chair of the Confederation of Timber Industries, and CEO of Donaldson Offsite, represented the timber industry when he said: “The Minister’s support for the Timber in Construction Roadmap shows the Government’s firm commitment to a growth agenda: growth for forestry, for housing, for low-carbon skills and for the economy.

A new study led by dRMM in collaboration with Edinburgh Napier University and the Quality of Life Foundation has highlighted the low-carbon and wellbeing benefits of five mass timber buildings in the UK. The study demonstrates that mass timber buildings not only significantly reduce carbon emissions but also provide healthier and more comfortable environments for occupants, its authors claim. The research, titled Measuring Mass Timber, found that these structures produce, on average, 50 per cent less embodied and operational carbon than conventional buildings. Additionally, they foster a strong sense of comfort and connection to nature among users. The findings were released as Government plans to increase the use of timber in construction were announced yesterday by Environment Minister Mary Creagh at the Timber in Construction Summit, coinciding with the launch of an updated Timber in Construction Roadmap.

SPAIN — Researchers at the University of the Basque Country (UPV/EHU) have developed a hybrid supercapacitor using carbon derived from Pinus radiata waste. The lithium-ion capacitor features electrodes made from discarded wood particles, offering a sustainable and cost-effective energy storage solution. With abundant biomass resources in the Basque Country in Spain, the team utilized environmentally friendly and inexpensive processes to create high-performance electrodes. Their findings highlight the potential of biomass-based materials in producing efficient, eco-friendly energy storage systems. …The UPV/EHU team developed a cost-effective lithium-ion capacitors using carbon from Pinus radiata waste, an abundant and sustainable resource in Biscay, Spain. They produced high-performance electrodes using carbon sourced from biomass instead of costly chemicals or energy-intensive procedures. …Not all biomass provides suitable carbon for energy storage applications, but results demonstrated the effectiveness of carbon derived from insignis pine.

The global woodworking press gathered in Hanover for the media launch of this year’s Ligna exhibition – the world’s largest woodworking technology fair. The official Ligna Press Preview event, held at Hannover Messe on February 20 and attended by TTJ, saw Ligna organiser Deutsche Messe reveal that more than 1,200 exhibitors from all over the world will occupy around 112,000m2 of exhibition space in May, sending a strong signal in a challenging industry situation. The event on May 26-30 will be the 50th anniversary of Ligna. Ligna, which attracts around 100,000 people every two years, showcases technologies from across the woodworking spectrum – from forestry to sawmilling, timber product processing, panel production equipment, furniture machinery and surfacing.

A Hawke’s Bay trial to convert leftover forestry wood into roading material for logging trucks to travel over is showing promising results. Managing woody debris left after harvesting is a common challenge in forestry. …Transporting it out of the forest is costly, while leaving it piled on landings poses environmental risks during severe weather events. With funding from Forest Growers Research (FGR), Pan Pac and FGR have been trialling a promising solution – using it as roading material. …Compared to metal roads, shredded wood roads offer the environmental advantage of repurposing waste wood while reducing traditional roading material transport distances, thereby lowering the carbon footprint. …The results so far indicate that shred wood roads could be a viable alternative to metal roads, where the grade is not too steep in wet conditions.

Humans have been building with wood for thousands of years, but the last few decades have seen a renaissance in timber construction with the rise of mass timber. Products like cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glue-laminated timber (GLT) have exploded in popularity recently with ever larger and more elaborate buildings completed. Australia has been punching above its weight on a global stage with several landmark examples attracting worldwide acclaim… Many projects delivered so far have been relatively “purist” buildings with most components made from mass timber but products are becoming normalised to a point where we can pick the right material for the right job. Timber is an incredibly capable material, but can be limited in some applications, so often a hybrid approach is a better way to get timber into more projects.

Researchers at Stockholm University have developed a fully biobased hair conditioner using lignin gel emulsions, offering a sustainable and environmentally friendly alternative to conventional haircare products. Hair conditioners typically contain 20–30 ingredients, many derived from petroleum and oleochemicals, raising concerns about sustainability and environmental impact. A new study published in Science Advances, demonstrates that micellar lignin gels can effectively stabilize emulsions with natural oils, reducing the need for synthetic surfactants and complex stabilizers commonly used in commercial formulations. The research team, led by Mika Sipponen at Stockholm University, sought to explore lignin, a common and renewable component in wood biomass, as a multifunctional component for hair conditioning. “By using wood-derived lignin directly without any chemical modification, we not only simplify the ingredient list but also eliminate the need for organic solvents, making the process more eco-friendly,” said Sipponen.