Thinking about the need to reduce pollution caused by industry, it has been shown that timber is the most suitable material for sustainable construction. The production of CLT or Mass Timber panels is low in emissions and favors the efficiency of labor; it reduces construction times and problems associated with noise pollution and waste generation; and -among its most outstanding features - as a product of trees, it continues with the absorption of CO2.

Meanwhile, it’s also been possible to verify solid timber’s fire resistance and anti-seismic capacity (thanks to its resistant characteristics and low weight). Timber also works as an excellent insulator since it helps with the regulation of temperatures, and with the reduction of external noise. Not to mention the comforting and calming effect wood has on people.

We just need to talk about the end of the useful life of wood as a building material.

What happens when it comes to repairing or refurbishing a building?

As a rule, buildings in Chile should have a useful life of approximately 100 years. However, in the decades since the 50's, we can already see the ravages of time in several buildings without proper maintenance. Replacing brick by brick or any of the structures that make up a building is practically unfeasible, so at the end of their useful life they are demolished to be reconditioned; this practice results in tons of debris that end up in landfills, adding to the pollution already produced by their production and perpetuating the linear economy model.

Timber, unlike concrete and steel, is produced in panels, which are lighter, more pliable and easier to assemble. They put forth an architecture from the idea that these panels can be removable and replaceable, promoting intelligent designs that can converge with the so-called linear economy.

Wood panels expand the opportunities for sustainable design. As the site Madera & Construcción says, "an easily assembled architecture is at the same time an architecture with greater capacity to adapt to the needs of use." So, in addition to anticipating the obsolescence of a building, it’s possible to foresee modifications or restructuring, while also extending the useful life of these buildings.

How does timber push the construction sector into the circular economy?

Timber is a product that follows the flow of the biosphere, which can be explained as the biological metabolism: a tree grows, reproduces, dies and returns to the earth, which nourishes a new tree. The circular economy is based on the cycle of nature, which reuses its own resources, which are finite but without a limit to their use.

Taken to industry, timber is a product that at the end of its useful life can be reused, recycled and reconditioned unlimited times (even composted,) returning to the earth as in the previous example. In this way, full advantage is taken of this material, returning it to the market and making it part of the circular economy.