In his report published in the British Guardian newspaper, writer Rowan Moore said that it is not necessary to be a construction expert to know that wood is combustible, and you may also remember that parts of London were destroyed in the Great London Fire because they were made largely of wood, so it was returned Then built of bricks and stone.
It may appear that the government's decision to prohibit the use of wood, along with other combustible materials, in the construction of the exterior of residential buildings more than 18 meters high, is a reasonable response to the catastrophe of the Greenville Tower combustion.
That law entered into force in 2018, and the government has promised to review it. Now, the authorities are proposing to continue applying and expanding it to include buildings more than 11 meters high, and buildings such as hotels, in addition to apartment groups. But this measure has a cost, as it will hinder one of the most promising innovation in construction.
Promising environmental alternatives
Author Moore indicated in his report that building with wood can be an alternative to steel and concrete, so that large and long buildings can be built using it, and its environmental benefits are very convincing.
Concrete is a material with devastating effects, as it is said to be responsible for between 4% and 8% of carbon dioxide in the world. In return, wood retains the carbon absorbed by the trees during its growth process.
While construction in its current form includes a major factor in the generation of greenhouse gases, construction with wood is able to reduce these gases.
Other advantages of wooden construction
Wood construction has other advantages. In fact, wood is lightweight and easy to transport compared to other materials.
It is also versatile and can be used to build walls, floors and structures that carry buildings. Wood is also a fundamentally satisfying material, "visually and acoustically".
The writer added that the use of wood in construction makes workplaces cleaner, safer, quieter and more enjoyable. And visualize the difference in terms of effects on your ears and arms, between drilling in wood and drilling in concrete.
On the other hand, construction with wood requires fewer workers. And in the event of a fire, if the wood is strong and hard it will burn slowly thanks to the self-protection it provides, unlike the steel that suddenly collapses if exposed to a high temperature.
Thanks to these properties, the use of wood for construction has increased in the world. In Vancouver, for example, in 2017 a 18-storey wooden tower was built, with another 40-storey tower planned.
Hundreds of mid-rise wooden buildings were also built in Canada. In Japan, specifically the capital, Tokyo, a 70-storey wooden building is slated to be built.
In France, President Macron issued a decree requiring that all state-funded buildings be at least 50% wood.
Call to reconsider t
All of these reasons encouraged some organizations and companies, including the Climate Action Network of Architects and the Royal Institute of British Architects, the government to review the matter.
Part of the problem is that the current ban does not sufficiently distinguish between the building's outer layer and structure. There is almost general agreement that it is necessary to prohibit the covering of buildings more than a few floors high with wood.
The writer pointed out that the strange aspect of all this is that the Greenville Tower was not made of wood, but rather of reinforced concrete coated with polyethylene and aluminum.
Although the progress of investigations into the Greenville Tower fire was disrupted by the epidemic, the ban on the use of wood throughout this period was illogical.