Why produce sustainable construction materials?

Sustainable construction – advantages of using wood instead of steel and concrete

Wood is a natural, renewable, and sustainable material that has a better climate impact than steel and concrete. Climatically wood has the huge advantage that it absorbs carbon to grow. By using and increasing the amount of wood used in residential and commercial buildings, it is possible to remove CO₂ from the atmosphere. A good rule of thumb is that a cubic meter of CLT sequesters approximately 1 ton of CO₂. The ability to absorb and sequester carbon is greater in managed forests than in wild forests. That is because younger trees absorb more CO₂ in their early and rapid growth than older trees.

It is estimated that the cement and concrete industry is responsible for around 8 % of the global greenhouse emissions and that the iron and steel industry is responsible for around 5 %. By substituting concrete and steel with CLT and glulam in construction (LINK) it is possible to totally avoid the negative climate impact that these materials have³. There are several certifications that ensures that the wood comes from a sustainably managed forest.

Build up with CLT

The development of high-rise CLT buildings is ongoing. There are now several CLT-high-rise buildings around the world. Mjøstårnet in Norway is at the moment the tallest wood building with its 85,4 meters. Other examples of CLT high-rise buildings include Brock Commons Tallwood House in Vancouver which is a hybrid CLT/concrete building⁴, and the 51-meter-tall building Treet in Bergen, Norway that houses 62 apartments⁵. As cities are becoming more and more densely populated the number of high-rise buildings is increasing on a global scale. Many architects have discovered CLT-panels and masstimber products such as glulam – especially because of the many advantages that these products have. This includes wood’s ability to absorb CO₂ but also the derived effects of the light weight of the masstimber products compared to steel and concrete. As an example, a smaller foundation is needed when building a high-rise in CLT panels, because it weighs less than a concrete building.

Another important aspect of building the cities of the future is that CLT and glulam perform very well during earthquakes. It does so because wood is light but strong. Wood can stretch a little bit – an ability that concrete does not have. This gives wood an advantage under seismic activity. If something were to happen to a wood building, it is easier to repair than a steel/concrete building³.

Kallesoe Machinery takes responsibility

At Kallesoe Machinery we are very proud that the laminated wood products made on our machines and press lines can be used to reduce the amount of CO₂ in the atmosphere. We take pride in developing turn-key solutions that produce wood products of the highest quality – which in the end is a benefit for the manufacturer and the climate. For us at Kallesoe it is not enough just to make production solutions for green products: We are actively working on making our business more sustainable, and we have a strong focus on our CO₂ emissions. We are continuously working on minimizing our waste and we are very focused on reducing our energy consumption. We have just initiated a project with an EU fund to work on making our business as sustainable and CO₂ responsible as possible.

A part of the green conversion of the company includes trying to make our products future-proof which for us means that our machinery has a long lifespan. We design new developments so they can be incorporated into already existing machines.

Kallesoe Machinery designs and produces future-proof solutions for the products of the future.