SUSTAINABILITY 14 Timber construction in facts and figures Every 40 seconds, enough wood regrows in the Austrian forests so that a complete single-family home could be built from it. It takes one second for one cubic metre of wood to regrow in Austria. This would be sufficient building material for 2,160 single-family houses per day. In one year, enough wood for 788,400 houses grows in Austria without harvesting from existing forests. According to the latest state of knowledge, timber buildings can be constructed up to 20 storeys high. One of the highest residential timber buildings of the world with nine storeys is located in London and was built in 2008 already by an Austrian company: the Dalston Lane. International studies attest to a great future of timber construction. While the ecological component has been decisive until recently, strong economic arguments are now increasingly coming into play. This thesis is underpinned by the already high timber construction quotas in various countries and the continuously rising portion of timber in the construction industry (see Figure 11). Figure 11 – Timber construction quotas of select countries, Holzforschung [Timber Research] Munich Wood construction quota, new building The portion of homes where construction uses primarily wood as building material. 40% Future in Germany? 15% currently in Germany 15% Germany in 1991 15% in Austria 50% in Scandinavia 50% in the USA Sensible material combination Already an increase of the wood portion per building means active climate protection. © www.christof-reich.com
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