An industry expert said on Tuesday that a
UK-Singapore joint venture is planning to introduce engineered wood, or
Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), for housing projects in India and other South
Asian countries in an ambitious bid to replace wood for traditional building
materials like steel and concrete and help scale up low-carbon construction.
An industry expert said on Tuesday that a
UK-Singapore joint venture is planning to introduce engineered wood, or
Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL), for housing projects in India and other South
Asian countries in an ambitious bid to replace wood for traditional building
materials like steel and concrete and help scale up low-carbon construction.
The most significant barriers to mass
timber adoption are design and construction knowledge, as well as the
perception of risk. Education and training can help you overcome these
obstacles, but it takes time.
Many of our projects are with owners and architects
who are new to mass timber. Timberlab undertakes a lot of industry education in
an effort to speed the mainstream adoption of mass timber. With proper details
of the construction and the procedure of delivering a prefabricated kit of
pieces, there is a learning curve. Because they have the capability in-house, I
believe mass timber manufacturers, fabricators, and builders have taken on the
details and coordination of these projects.
With strong targets set for reducing CO2
emissions at COP26, India is now allowing the use of wood as structural
materials for public buildings and habitat projects, he said, noting that it
was previously prohibited.
“I believe India will continue to
adopt more prescriptive ways that empower indigenous engineers to broaden their
theoretical understanding,” Hill further said.
“The world is finally accepting that
timber construction can be the single most important approach to reduce
emissions in the built environment,” said Hill, a Chartered Builder from
the United Kingdom and an industry specialist who has lived in Singapore for
over 25 years.
He pointed out that “Wood for
good” is no longer an idle wish.
“It is a vital move for the planet if
we are going to seriously cut emissions and attain net zero by 2030. We know
that the built environment is responsible for 40 per cent of global emissions.
This is confirmed by the World Green Building Council,” he said. The
council is a non-profit organisation working in the building and construction
industry with offices in London and Ontario as well as member councils in over
70 countries.
Emissions come from the energy consumed
within conventional buildings for heating, cooling and lighting, also known as
operational emissions, Hill said, adding that the harder challenge is to eliminate
emissions associated with the extraction, processing and manufacturing of
building products or embodied emissions.
He suggests scaling up low-carbon
construction through the use of engineered timber which would result in
substituting half of the conventional building material and reduce global
emissions by 9 per cent to meet 2030 targets for keeping global warming below
1.5 degrees Celsius.
Substituting wood for conventional building
materials, like steel and concrete, reduces construction phase emissions by 69
per cent.
Hill
sees a huge market for timber housing in India, Nepal and Bhutan, backed by the
availability of good grade timber, responsibly-sourced from the region and not
imported from Europe.
He cited the World Bank estimates that 1.2
billion people live in substandard housing that fails to meet the most basic
needs. Nearly 900 million people live in slums and 90 per cent of all adults
have no access to housing finance
By 2030, it is estimated 300 million new
homes, and millions more support structures like schools, clinics and work
places will be required.
The past two decades have witnessed
innovation in digital construction solutions, design for manufacturer and
assembly, sustainability initiatives, timber engineering, construction adhesives,
processing and manufacturing technology. Together, these have made timber
highly relevant for today’s sophisticated construction markets, said Hill. He
said an increasing trend of planting and replanting of trees globally, assures
that timber supply will always be steady.
Venturer has already been involved in major
building projects in the region, most notably for resorts in the Maldives,
where timber was sourced and supplied from Europe. But Hill sees that so much
more can be achieved in India and elsewhere by using locally and regionally
available timber. Courtesy: www.latestly.com
