Category Archives: Wood, Paper & Green Building

The smell of an old book … escapes as a cover is eased open or a stiff page lifted, settling briefly in the air between hand and paper. In libraries and second-hand shops, it is a faint but persistent smell… It is often associated with comfort and habit, yet it has a material basis. Conservators and chemists treat it as evidence of physical change. Paper, ink, glue, and binding age continuously, releasing compounds that remain present long after printing. What is sensed is the slow chemistry of use and storage. …Paper accounts for much of the smell associated with old books. From the nineteenth century onwards, most paper was produced from wood pulp containing cellulose fires and lignin. Over time, these components undergo chemical change. Cellulose chains fracture and shorten. Lignin oxidises and breaks into smaller fragments. These processes release volatile organic compounds that drift from the page surface.

UK – The Wood Recyclers’ Association (WRA) welcomed the publication of a new Regulatory Position Statement (RPS) in England specifically for waste wood, following successful calls from the WRA on behalf of the waste wood industry. RPS 361 allows sites which have been impacted by unplanned downtime at biomass plants, incinerators and panel board manufacturing facilities to apply to temporarily exceed their permitted storage limits. Importantly, the RPS applies to sites storing wood destined for panel board manufacture for the first time. …The RPS comes following ongoing pressure in the waste wood market, with many sites inundated with material – something the WRA has been in regular discussions with the regulators about across the four nations. Vicki Hughes. said “This RPS gives permitted sites storing waste wood in England the opportunity to apply for additional storage and help ensure this material is not sent to landfill or incineration.”

Japan — Plastic pollution has proven stubbornly resistant to quick fixes. Even so-called biodegradable plastics often linger in the environment, breaking down into microplastics that spread through ecosystems and bodies alike. Now, researchers in Japan say they have created a plant-based plastic that sidesteps that trap. The material stays strong during use, yet breaks down rapidly in natural settings without leaving microscopic debris behind. …Cellulose-based plastics already exist, but most do not decompose quickly in marine environments. …The new plastic builds on that earlier concept. One polymer comes from carboxymethyl cellulose, a wood-pulp derivative that is already FDA-approved and biodegradable. The second component proved harder to identify. After extensive testing, the team selected a safe crosslinking agent made from positively charged polyethylene-imine guanidinium ions.

Michael Green

When the first skyscraper was built in Chicago in 1885 … people were afraid … it would collapse. Today, as towers made of wood go up around the world, the response is a similar mixture of wonder and fear. …but the truth is that wooden construction is healthier, both for people and for the planet. Buildings and construction are the largest source of anthropogenic greenhouse gases… A building’s structural elements, typically steel and concrete, are “a huge component of that carbon footprint”, says architect Michael Green. …Green was an early advocate of wooden construction and continues to think about improving the construction industry’s climate impact. His question now is what new structural material could replace the big four widely used in construction: wood, steel, concrete and masonry. One possibility, which he favours, would be creating a material from plant fibres that can be formed into organic, efficient shapes, minimizing waste and capturing carbon at the same time.

Leuna, Germany — Staring at a pile of freshly cut beechwood, forestry manager Johannes Brodowski wonders if he is looking at the future of Germany’s chemicals industry. A local factory will use Brodowski’s trees and other organic material — instead of climate-harming fossil fuels — to make chemical products used to manufacture items ranging from packaging to car tyres and fleece jackets. “The innovative part of the whole thing is that a new product is getting made,” he told AFP: “Namely, chemical materials that were originally made from fossil fuels and now can be made from renewable sources.” Finnish group UPM Biochemicals unveiled its 1.3-billion-euro ($1.5-billion) biorefinery in the eastern state of Saxony-Anhalt this year, taking a big risk at a difficult time for the sector.

HONG KONG — While the exact cause of the deadly inferno that swept across a Hong Kong apartment complex was unknown, questions have been raised about the role of the bamboo scaffolding that enveloped the buildings at the time of the fire. The blaze, which has left at least 94 dead, has focused attention on the use of the ancient construction technique used for more than 1,000 years. Bamboo poles lashed together using wire and other strong materials are often found at construction sites in Asia, and the scaffolding is commonly seen around Hong Kong. Officials said Wednesday’s fire started on the external scaffolding of a 32-storey tower, spread to the inside of the building and then to six other towers, likely aided by windy conditions. …Whatever the outcome of the investigation into what caused the fire, the days of using bamboo in Hong Kong appear numbered.

When Air New Zealand decided to build its new Hangar 4 at Auckland Airport, the brief sought scale, performance, and sustainability. The result? The largest free-spanning timber arch in the Southern Hemisphere and the first mass timber aircraft maintenance hangar anywhere in the world. The Hyne Group congratulates Air New Zealand and the project team upon official completion and opening of the much-anticipated Air New Zealand Hangar 4 at Auckland Airport. …Chair of the Hyne Group and James Jones & Sons Group, Tom Bruce-Jones said, “I am immensely proud of all stakeholders involved with this project… By embracing timber as a core material, we are not only delivering architectural excellence but championing sustainable construction practices.” …Spanning 100 metres in length, with 97 metres of clearance and soaring 35.6 metres high, this landmark project demonstrates just what precision-engineered timber, smart design, and close collaboration can achieve in aviation infrastructure.

HONG KONG — A fire spread across seven high-rise apartment buildings in a Hong Kong housing complex, killing 13 people and leaving others still trapped, in the city’s worst blaze in years. …At least 15 others were injured, and about 700 people have been evacuated to temporary shelters. The raging fire sent up a column of flames and thick smoke as it spread quickly on bamboo scaffolding and construction netting that had been set up around the exterior of the housing complex in Tai Po district. Records show the housing complex consisted of eight buildings with almost 2,000 apartments. Multiple buildings close to each other were ablaze, with bright flames and smoke shooting out of many of the apartments’ windows as night fell. …Officials said that it started at the external scaffolding of one of the buildings and later spread to inside the building and also to nearby buildings, likely aided by windy conditions.

A transformation of the Natural History Museum’s grounds, including a new café and education building, has been named the UK’s best new timber project, having won the Gold Award at the Wood Awards 2025 last night. …Combining a Douglas fir glulam timber frame with a load-bearing masonry façade, the café features a stepped roof with a glazed lantern and openable panels for natural ventilation. …The Urban Nature Project timber structures were designed by Feilden Fowles in collaboration with timber design specialist Xylotek, and structural engineering by engineers HRW. …“The UK’s long and proud tradition of timber construction is powerfully reflected in this year’s Gold Award winner,” said David Hopkins, CEO of Timber Development UK. Other winners on the night were: Bespoke Award: A Forest Datum; Interior Design Award: Pine Health; Residential: Chowdhury Walk; Commercial Award: New Wave House; Sustainability Award: New Wave House; and Production Furniture Award: The Levity Collection.

Futamura, a Japanese manufacturer of cellulose films and packaging products, has announced a solution to help reduce the quantities of microplastics generated from glitter products. Microplastics are defined as plastic particles less than 5mm in size, which can be either intentionally manufactured at that size (primary microplastics) or created when larger plastic items break down (secondary microplastics). Glitter has been particularly criticised in recent years for its contribution to microplastic pollution in oceans and soil. According to Futamura, biodegradable glitter can be created from its NatureFlex materials [wood pulp], which will safely degrade in the environment it was disposed of after use without producing harmful microplastics. …Currently, glitter based on conventional plastics can still be sold into cosmetic applications due to a transition period granted under the EU’s Microplastics Regulation. However, once this period ends cosmetic applications will also be banned.

BRAZIL — In 2017 a french auctioneer sold a 200-year-old violin bow made by François Xavier Tourte, regarded as the Antonio Stradivari of bow-making, for a record $687,000. Tourte was among the first to make consistent use of a raw material that is still prized today for the best bows: pernambuco, or brazilwood. …And that’s a problem. Logging, urban sprawl and ranching have shrunk Brazil’s Atlantic forest, the tree’s habitat, to an eighth of its former area. …Brazil’s government wants cites to list the trees among the most endangered species, giving them the highest protection. …The proposal has spooked practitioners of Tourte’s craft and the musicians who depend on it. …It should be possible to save both brazilwood and bows. Around 3m trees have been planted since the early 1970s, some with the help of bow-makers. Some of these could be harvested after 30-40 years. [to access the full story an Economist subscription is required]

Tony Arnel

When Lendlease built Forté in Melbourne in 2012 – then the world’s tallest timber apartment building – its cross-laminated panels came from Austria. People thought that was a spelling mistake. Surely, we can grow our own timber in Australia? After nine years on the board of Forest and Wood Products Australia (FWPA), I’ve watched the carbon conversation mature. What was once a moral argument is now a market reality. Yet the material best placed to cut construction carbon emissions – timber – still battles perception problems, supply chain hurdles and short-term thinking. FWPA’s 2025 consumer research shows Australians prefer wood above all other materials. 60 per cent say it’s their first choice when building or renovating, and three-quarters say material choice matters. …Australians love timber, but they don’t want to cut down trees, especially if those trees are koala habitat. At the heart of this social-licence issue is confusion between plantations and native forests.

GUANGZHOU, China — The 57th China International Furniture Fair, set to open in March 2026, has announced its new theme, “CONNECT • CREATE”, alongside a refreshed visual identity. As the global furniture ecosystem undergoes profound restructuring, the CIFF aims to connect all links of the industrial chain–production, distribution, and consumption–to navigate transformation and unlock new value. The global furniture industry is rapidly evolving. Amid economic fluctuations and trade uncertainties, international buyers are increasingly turning to China. Chinese manufacturers are advancing innovation and R&D, supported by a robust and stable supply chain that ensures efficiency and resilience. …Spanning 850,000 square meters and bringing together over 4,900 exhibitors, the CIFF Guangzhou 2026 will feature three major exhibitions: Home Furniture, Office and Commercial Space, CIFM/Interzum Guangzhou. Each section will highlight new trends, from contemporary design collaborations and smart sleep innovations to sustainable office concepts and advanced intelligent manufacturing.

Built by Nature’s Joe Giddings, a co-founder of ACAN, talks about building responsibly with timber and sustainable forestry initiatives On the eve of Cop 30 in northern Brazil. …Giddings takes a deep dive into BbN’s five principles for responsible timber construction, which provide a holistic framework for building with timber without unintended consequences. He also describes BbN’s workstreams to quantify and promote lean use of timber. Current research includes the development of two new metrics for assessing the impact of building with timber: the use renewal ratio (the time that timber remains locked up in a building compared with how long it takes the tree that supplied it to grow) and wood use intensity (the volume of timber used per square metre of building). Giddings challenges numerous tropes. Local is not always best, he says. …To catch up on all episodes of AJ Climate Champions, click here.

A new guidance document explaining the requirements of the Construction Products Regulation (CPR) for timber and wood-based products has been launched by Timber Development UK (TDUK). This latest resource for the timber sector clarifies how manufacturers, importers and distributors can ensure they remain compliant when placing timber products on the UK construction market. The Construction Products Regulation, first introduced in 2013, sets legal responsibilities for anyone supplying construction materials covered by a designated or harmonised standard. The new TDUK guide outlines what these obligations mean for timber businesses and how to meet them, including guidance on CE and UKCA marking, Declarations of Performance, and the specific product standards that apply across the wood sector – from structural timber and panels to glulam, LVL, and timber cladding. …The publication is available to download from the TDUK website.

UNITED KINGDOM—Willmott Dixon has commissioned comprehensive fire safety tests for cavity barriers on Cross-Laminated Timber to eliminate a technical gap that has created uncertainty and delays on cross-laminated timber (CLT) projects across the sector. The testing programme, which Willmott Dixon did in partnership with passive fire protection specialist Siderise and CLT manufacturer KLH, provides the industry with certified solutions for projects using cross-laminated timber (CLT) and Siderise cavity barriers in both wall and floor applications. Previously, all projects would have required individual technical assessments. …the tests examined three critical interface scenarios that appear across CLT construction projects: wall interfaces in vertical configuration with EW-CB 30 Cavity Barrier; floor and wall interfaces in horizontal configuration with EW-CB 30 Cavity Barrier; and floor and wall interfaces in horizontal configuration with RH25 90/30 Cavity Barrier for rainscreen applications. All three tests passed successfully, covering worst-case scenarios including 100mm five-layer CLT panels tested to rigorous European standards.