BUILD FOCUS: LEISURE
BUILD FOCUS:
LEISURE
This month, we shine a light on the environmental benefits and heightened productivity advantages of opting for modular timber-framed buildings for leisure and educational use. Here, TG Escapes’ Mark Brown looks at how modular timber frame can help meet net-zero carbon goals.
MARK BROWN CONSULTANT AT TG ESCAPES
THE BENEFITS OF USING TIMBER FOR LEISURE BUILDINGS Timber is the oldest and most sustainable building material ever known. Not only does its use have significantly less environmental impact than steel or concrete, but it has other properties which bring additional benefits to those using a leisure building day in, day out. TG ESCAPES
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imber is the only construction material that is truly sustainable. 97% of timber used in Europe is registered under the FSC and PEFC schemes, resulting in the European forested area increasing by 30%. In fact, there are numerous benefits of using timber, such as: Timber uses far less energy to harvest and manufacture (-676kg/CO 2 e/m 3) Timber is not only a carbon sink (sun, water and carbon); but it releases oxygen and improves air quality during its 60-year life cycle Timber weighs 20% the dead weight of concrete and 6% the dead weight of steel According to the Athena Calculator, wood outperforms concrete and steel on a number of environmental measures Versus timber, concrete causes +470% more water pollution, 150% more fossil fuel consumption and 240% more smog potential. Steel causes 300% more water pollution, 140% more fossil fuel consumption and 120% more smog potential. FC&A – OCTOBER – 2020
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