Category Archives: Wood, Paper & Green Building

UK architecture studio Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios has designed a six-storey cross-laminated timber office named Paradise, which will be carbon negative to align with its Architects Declare commitments. The architecture studio designed the carbon-neutral office as it focuses on creating more sustainable architecture to meet the aims of climate change network Architects Declare. The timber-framed building will contain 5,500 square metres of office space. Its structure, which was designed with Webb Yates Engineers, will be a combination of cross-laminated timber slabs and cores, glued laminated timber beams and some supporting steel beams on a concrete foundation. Feilden Clegg Bradley Studios calculated that the sequestered carbon contained in the timber is sufficient to make up for the carbon emissions generated during the construction process as well as the first 60 years of the building’s operation.

SYDNEY, Australia — When developer Tim Spencer decided to build a new wellness-focused commercial building near a hospital in Sydney, he drew on his own painful personal experience to inform the project. First of all, he wanted a building that would appeal to one of the most resilient sectors in the market today, the medical industry, so commissioned a landmark sustainable timber design with high-performance glass that imbued healthy living. Secondly, he decided to make sure the state-of-the-art interiors were full of fresh air and raw timber with great views to greenery outside through full-height glazing, knowing that the less he made it feel like a soulless, antiseptic clinical space, the better it would be for patients. …The first two major tenancies are an IVF clinic and a new cancer treatment centre. …Construction starts later this year.

From its starting to point as a tree to its product form as a beam or piece of furniture, wood used in architecture and interior design goes through several stages and processes. A renewable resource and popular traditional building material, wood is also often cited as a promising construction material of the future, one that is suitable for the new demands of sustainability. But unlike concrete, whose molds can create even the most complex curves, wooden architecture most commonly uses straight beams and panels. In this article, we will cover some techniques that allow for the creation of curved pieces of wood at different scales, some of which are handmade and others of which seek to make the process more efficient and intelligent at a larger scale.

NIKKEN SEKKEI has completed the ‘Ariake Gymnastics Centre’ in Tokyo, one of the venues that will host the rescheduled olympics in 2021. The arena will initially function as a sporting venue, before being converted into an exhibition hall after the games. As with other venues designed for the olympics, such as the Japan national stadium, sustainably sourced timber has been used throughout the design. Conceived as a ‘wooden vessel floating in the bay’, timber has been used for the roof structure, the façade, the spectator seats, and the exterior walls. The arena’s ceiling is supported by a wooden frame designed to reduce the weight of the overall structure, while the façade takes into account acoustic and thermal insulation properties. ‘Function, structure, and space are tightly combined to achieve beauty and richness in simplicity, which is the essence of Japanese traditional wood architecture…,’ explains NIKKEN SEKKEI.

British sustainable packaging company Frugalpac has launched a wine bottle made from 94% recycled paperboard, which it said has a carbon footprint 84% less than that of glass. The Frugal bottle is made from predominantly recycled paperboard, and has a food-grade liner insert capable of holding both wine and spirits. Frugalpac said the 75cl bottle, which is up to five times lighter than a glass bottle, also has a carbon footprint over a third lower than a bottle made from recycled plastic. In addition, its water footprint is also at least four times lower than glass. The bottle, which can be refrigerated, is easy to recycle, according to Frugalpac, which states that the paperboard can easily be separated from the liner.

The packaging industry hasn’t maintained a great image during the pandemic, with images of streets littered with plastic gloves and masks in the headlines. But the paper and fibre industry has been busy behind the scenes: the first paper-based spirits bottle was announced, to be launched in 2021, as well as a recyclable, home-compostable food tray made of natural wood fibres, that won the bio-based Material of the Year 2020 Award. There’s also news of 100 per cent recyclable thermo boxes that could replace polystyrene containers of frozen food. If these and similar technological advancements prove economically viable and scalable, it could put a plus in the column for paper against plastic in terms of utility in the long run. But, as advocates of plastic like to remind us, there is so much more to paper packaging’s ecological footprint than recyclability. …The weak links …are tropical countries and China…

Statistics on the environmental impact of plastic speak for themselves. It is estimated we are on track to lose 90% of marine bird life, while the weight of plastic in the ocean will exceed the weight of fish by 2050. …The traditional ‘linear’ manufacturing approach of produce > use > dispose needs to change to a ‘circular’ model. Avoiding landfill and litter requires goods to be reused or recycled at the end of their useful life, whether into similar products or for energy. Paper-based packaging is a demonstration of mainstream ‘circular ‘production: It is sourced from plantations that regrow after harvest; Virgin paper is made from a combination of residues of other wood processing and wood that is unsuitable for sawmilling; Paper is the mainstay of recycling worldwide; If not recycled, at worst, paper naturally biodegrades. As an alternative to many single-use plastics, paper represents a solution to a problem that is both economically and ecologically sustainable.

Wood to wear? Yes, it’s possible! The outdoor specialist Vaude is once again offering textiles made from biodegradable fleece fabrics with wood cellulose. The ‘Women’s Elope Fleece Jacket’ for hiking and trekking contains 62 % recycled polyester in addition to its wood cellulose fibre. …A small contribution toward fighting the growing problem of plastic waste in our environment. …the inner, napped surface of the knit fabric isn’t made from polyester (as with conventional fleece), but from the 100 % wood cellulose fibre lyocell – and this remains undyed! This fibre is therefore 100 % biodegradable – even in salt water! If microfibres are shed from the napped lining of the fleece during the washing process, they can biodegrade in any environment in about 90 days, without leaving a trace behind and without endangering any living organisms.

The pulp and paper industry enjoyed a collective sigh of relief in February, 2020, when the Finnish paper workers’ strike reached a resolution. Finland is the largest overseas pulp and paper products exporter in the European Union, so when producers like Metsä Group announced a force majeure Jan. 27 that resulted in a shutdown of all its mills, anxiety set in. According to FisherSolve Next data, Metsä, along with fellow Finnish companies UPM and Stora Enso, produce seven percent of the world’s softwood fiber and 15 percent of Northern softwood fiber. News from traders indicated softwood fiber prices in the market increased during the short-lived strike, and some hardwood fiber suppliers such as Suzano, Klabin, and Eldorado considered destocking their products as price gaps for the two grades widened.

IDS is one of the leading architectural firms in Korea and considered as the champion and leader in the sustainable architecture of wood buildings, notably through the design for Korea’s tallest modern wood construction. Its principal, …Mr. Ki Cheol Bae’s wood construction skills began with Canada Wood Korea’s earlier training, then deepened with several mission visits to Canada. In 2016, he designed Korea’s largest wood building, a 4-story research centre with a floor area of 4500m2. Last year, his firm was involved in creating Korea’s tallest wood demo building, a 19.12m high 5-story construction, applying the first 2-hour fire-rated CLT wall and floor system. This year, his winning design for the 90m tall Gwangmyeong City’s Wooden Observation Tower will once again demonstrate the possibility of wood structure in an unprecedented way.