{"id":4404270,"date":"2023-12-03T14:13:06","date_gmt":"2023-12-03T13:13:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/radman-homes.eu\/is-it-high-time-we-started-thinking-about-climate-change-and-its-impact-on-the-living-environment-ihf27\/"},"modified":"2025-08-26T17:05:31","modified_gmt":"2025-08-26T16:05:31","slug":"is-it-high-time-we-started-thinking-about-climate-change-and-its-impact-on-the-living-environment-ihf27","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/radman-homes.eu\/en\/is-it-high-time-we-started-thinking-about-climate-change-and-its-impact-on-the-living-environment-ihf27\/","title":{"rendered":"Is it high time we started thinking about climate change and its impact on the living environment? – IHF27"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

A few days ago we participated in the 27th. The International Conference on Timber Structures (IHF) at the Holzbau Forum Innsbruck 2023, the largest global conference on mass timber construction. Below we present an overview of the most important topics, initiatives, and some worrying conclusions that we all need to think about if we want to keep our planet habitable.<\/p>\n\n

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International Conference on Timber Structures (IHF)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

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The biggest challenge \u2013 climate change and its impact on atmospheric warming<\/h2>\n\n

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Climate change and the associated increase in global average temperature can be measured and felt. No matter how much many deny it, year after year, we witness these changes in Croatia – we are increasingly faced with floods, droughts, freezing rains, hurricane winds, etc., which are the result of climate change.<\/p>\n\n

All of the above is largely caused by man, who, with the desire for material gain, destroys the environment in which he lives. The intensive exploitation of fossil fuels and the production of energy-intensive materials (cement, steel, aluminum, plastic) release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, which as a result disrupts the Earth’s balance. <\/p>\n\n

To avoid disaster, we must act decisively and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.<\/p>\n\n

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How can the construction industry contribute to CO2 reduction?<\/h2>\n\n

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It is crucial to explore sustainable alternatives in the construction industry. Wooden construction has proven to be a promising solution that offers numerous advantages in the fight against climate change. By using wood as a primary building material, we can significantly reduce our carbon footprint and promote the use of renewable energy sources.<\/p>\n\n

The importance of wooden construction lies in its ability to extract carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. Unlike traditional building materials such as concrete, steel, brick, stone and glass wool, which contribute significantly to greenhouse gas emissions during production, wood acts as a carbon sink. Trees absorb CO2 throughout their lifespan, storing it within their fibers even after they are cut down for construction purposes<\/strong> .<\/p>\n\n

An additional contribution is that building wooden houses requires several times less energy compared to the traditional materials we use to build.<\/p>\n\n

In the final calculation , one cubic meter of installed wood contributes to the reduction of CO2 in the atmosphere by two tons<\/strong> , while a cubic meter of reinforced concrete increases CO2 concentrations at home several times.<\/p>\n\n

Figuratively speaking; an average-sized wooden house, equipped with wooden furniture, will store approximately 50-70 tons of CO2 over its sixty-year lifespan.<\/p>\n\n

If we increased the number of newly built wooden houses by just 10% at the European level, CO2 emissions would be reduced by an incredible 25% in one year<\/strong> . (source: Zeda).<\/p>\n\n

Furthermore, using wood in construction projects offers energy efficiency benefits. Wood has excellent insulating properties, reducing the need for excessive heating or cooling systems and thus reducing energy consumption over time.<\/p>\n\n

So, if you think reducing your carbon footprint isn’t important, would you agree that having lower home heating and cooling costs isn’t important either? You probably won’t because ultimately we all strive for lower living costs.<\/p>\n\n

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Are we limited by wood as a resource?<\/h2>\n\n

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Wood is a renewable resource that can be harvested in a controlled manner.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

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The question that arises by itself – do we have enough wood to completely switch to the construction of wooden prefabricated houses<\/a> and buildings?<\/p>\n\n

The answer is \u2013 we do. Trees need sun, water, air and soil to grow, and once planted, they require almost no investment.<\/p>\n\n

Wood is a renewable resource that can be sustainably managed and harvested without excessive deforestation. This ensures that future generations will have access to this valuable building material without endangering biodiversity or having the opposite effect of cutting down too many forests. An additional fact when we talk about forests is that we have them locally, we are surrounded by them – there is no need to transport construction materials thousands of kilometers to a factory or construction site, and in this way we indirectly reduce the CO2 produced during transportation.<\/p>\n\n

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Most developed European countries have embraced wooden construction, is Croatia ready?<\/h2>\n\n

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On the one hand, more developed and more environmentally conscious European countries have long been pushing wooden construction, which has proven to be sustainable, and on the other hand, we have the example of Croatia, which has only begun to accept wooden construction as a balanced alternative to traditional construction in the last few years.<\/p>\n\n

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Construction of a building using wood as the main construction material<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

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Why is that? Primarily, the transition is difficult to make without quality support from the state itself, which is currently lacking, but it is also important to educate our friends, neighbors, grandparents, and the population so that they understand all the benefits of wood and accept wooden construction as a logical choice. <\/p>\n\n

A clear example that wooden construction is reliable and sustainable comes from the fact that in 2025 In 2019, construction of a “wooden city” will begin in Stockholm – the world’s largest urban construction project made of wood, which will cover an impressive 250,000 m2 and consist of 2,000 wooden houses and 7,000 business premises.<\/p>\n\n

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“Wooden City” in Stockholm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
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“Wooden City” in Stockholm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
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