Gulf Construction Online - German timber key to sustainability

Timber & Playwood

The Expo Roof in Hanover ... an example of innovative timber construction.

German timber key to sustainability

01 May 2009

WITH the global trend towards environment- and climate-friendly building and the increasing awareness that modern wood products are the key to sustainable buildings, the German forest and wood-based industry has seen a surge in demand for its products, says German Timber, the international marketing programme of the non-profit organisation German Timber Promotion Fund.

This success can also be attributed to the fact that Germany has been a trendsetter in the sector with the high importance it has traditionally accorded to environmental issues.
“The principle of sustainability was established in German forestry nearly three centuries ago in order to protect the forest and to ensure the long-term availability of wood resources,” says a spokesman for the organisation. “Based on protection by law, the forests in Germany are still governed by strict sustainable forest management. Consequently, most of the forest area is certified under leading international certification programmes such as PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification schemes) or FSC (Forest Stewardship Council).”
The German timber industry is geared towards meeting the requirements of today’s construction market, which is moving towards sustainable construction, he says.
Detailing the advantages of timber in construction, the spokesman explains: “Modern timber construction allows all the demands of sustainable building to be met in an optimal way. Regenerative, carbon fixing and recyclable — no other building material offers such great potential for ‘green building’ as the renewable resource wood. Innovative structural timber design makes energy-efficient construction possible, while requiring a minimal use of energy.
“Modern wood products along with innovative timber construction methods meet the highest of technical standards and demonstrate exceptional performance. Intelligent finishing techniques make these products economically applicable.”
Examples of innovative timber construction in Germany are the Expo Roof built in Hanover, which spans 16,000 sq m, and a seven-storey residential building in Berlin.
Contemporary wood architecture and state-of-the-art timber construction methods enable the building of private homes, as well as notable public and commercial structures.
The German forest and wood-based industry offers a broad spectrum of superior softwood and hardwood products for demanding wood structures and creative interior finishing.
With more than a third of the area covered by forests and with a standing timber supply of 3.4 billion cu m, Germany contains the largest wood resources in Europe.
Elaborating on Germany’s resources and its wood-based industry, the spokesman says: “Forest resources in Germany are the core of a very long-standing tradition, yet highly competitive and innovative industry. The German forest and wood-based industry encompasses more than 150,000 companies, with 1.2 million employees and registers an annual sales volume of €167 billion ($223 billion). It is a technology leader as proven by its large production volumes and significant export quantities. The German sawmill industry is Europe's largest producer with some 22 million cu m of sawn timber.
“These wood products are in high demand in Europe as well as overseas markets. In 2008, Germany exported 7.7 million cu m of softwood timber all over the globe. It is one of the most important suppliers of sawn timber in Europe and the second most important supplier of softwood timber to the US. Exports to the Middle East – especially to the UAE and Saudi Arabia – also increased sharply last year. Hardwood exports are also on the rise, with China being among the top consumers of German beech products.”
Based on a long tradition of wood processing and manufacturing with continued quality product innovation, modern wood products from Germany are highly developed and engineered and show excellent technical properties, he points out. These building materials, in combination with leading construction expertise, promote the highest demands in contemporary wood architecture, construction and interior design.
German manufacturers offer a range of specialty softwood products – such as KVH (technically dried, finger-jointed and planed quality structural timber); solid structural softwood timber, Duo/Trio beams made from advanced materials and Glulam timber beams and columns for residential and large-scale structures – for the demands of modern wood construction in private homes (building and renovation), public buildings, large-scale roofs and bridges. Innovative hardwood products, for example those made from robust hardwoods such as European Beech or White Oak, are especially well-suited for creative interior design projects and furniture-making because of their high aesthetic value, excellent technical properties and a wide range of application.
The German Timber Promotion Fund maintains contact with architects, planners and representatives of the trade and manufacturing industry in many countries worldwide in order to increase the understanding of the possibilities and advantages in using modern wood products from sustainable forestry.
To increase the awareness of Germany’s wood products, the association has been participating at a number of exhibitions in the region. After a successful participation at the Woodshow in Dubai last year, German Timber Promotion Fund returned to the event last month (April) where it showed how high-end wood products and advanced engineering solutions can contribute to the infrastructure development and building construction in Dubai and in the Gulf region. The Woodshow is a dedicated trade show for wood products and wood processing machinery in the Middle East.
The association emphasises on the need to turn to wood products and engineering solutions. “Our common goal should be to use even more forest and wood-based products in order to surmount our current and future global challenges and to help society live more sustainably,” the spokesman concludes.