Timber presents the strongest environmental case as a construction material, according to the audience vote after The Great Materials Debate at Ecobuild.
The debate pitted advocates of timber against those for masonry, concrete, plastic and steel. Each was given a 10-minute slot to make their case, before chair Andy Butler, project director at Stanhope plc, asked the audience to decide which was the most persuasive.
Timber was represented by TRADA site-based services manager Dr Paul Newman and Jonathan Fovargue of contractor Eurban, specialist in solid panel timber construction.
Dr Newman stressed timber’s key role as a carbon sink – with each cubic metre fixing one tonne of CO2. “And it is a sustainable, renewable resource,” he said. “In Europe, which is a net exporter of timber, the forest area is expanding at 500,000ha annually.”
Dr Newman acknowledged that illegal logging and deforestation in certain parts of the world remained a problem, but pointed out that environmental certification of forestry was growing rapidly and the industry was acting to minimise the amount of illegal timber in circulation.
Wood, he said, was a low embodied energy material and timber buildings could be highly energy efficient, durable and provide a comfortable living environment.
“Wood is also the ultimate recyclable material and ultimately can be burned, releasing the carbon stored, to generate heat and power, completing the cycle,” said Dr Newman.
Jonathan Fovargue focused on timber’s suitability for offsite and other modern methods of construction. He highlighted the case of a school in Milton Keynes based on large-format prefabricated solid timber panels. “All components were delivered to site in eight trucks,” he said.
