In the EU, the construction sector employs currently more than 12 million people and accounts for 42% of the total energy consumption as well as 35% of the total greenhouse gas emissions, when considering the whole lifecycle of buildings. Reaching significant reductions in the environmental degradation in the sector will require a rapid and widespread uptake of both modern wood construction techniques and advanced concrete and steel technologies. In particular, wood construction can reduce the energy consumption and CO2 emissions related to the manufacture of construction products, as well as contribute to reducing the overall material use and thereby the amount of waste.
This synthesis study presents a short overview of the current state of the European construction sector and gives insight to the possibilities of wood construction.
The study is also available in French.
More information
Recommended citation:
Hurmekoski, E. 2017. How can wood construction reduce environmental degradation? European Forest Institute.
Number of pages: 12