Stora Enso Wood Products, a provider of sustainable wood-based products, has launched its new digital hub: the Wood House Effect. The site aims to inspire and drive the construction industry towards a more sustainable and efficient future through greater use of engineered timber.

Compiling insights, research and expertise, it will showcase the positive and high-impact benefits of using wood materials such as cross-laminated timber (CLT) and laminated veneer lumber (LVL) in construction.

Today, construction materials reportedly account for 11 percent of global CO2 emissions. To help mitigate the climate crisis, this needs to be reduced, but at the same time, global housing demand is expected to double by 2060.

Grown in sustainably managed forests, engineered wood elements represent a lesser carbon-intensive material than concrete and steel, while also making buildings healthier places to live and work in.

The content hub is using Stora Enso’s commitment to “talk about the Wood House Effect” to call for industry engagement to promote understanding around the reasons to choose wood as a building material today and in the future.

“Today, we can build higher, stronger and lighter than ever before,” said Lars Volkel, executive vice president, Stora Enso Wood Products. “Compared to the traditional construction processes with concrete and steel, we can reduce up to 75 percent of CO2-emissions when building with wood. And by leveraging the opportunities of digital planning and construction tools and increased levels of prefabrication, we can substantially reduce overall construction cycle times and costs whilst achieving higher quality standards, too.”

Studies have shown that people in wooden buildings have lower stress levels, increased productivity, and higher creativity. This can be explained by better air quality and acoustics but also from what’s known as biophilic design, human’s desire to be connected with the natural environment. See http://storaenso.com