In the view of Chilean star architect Alejandro Aravena, about a billion houses must be built worldwide in the coming years if the predicaments of persons threatened by poverty, migration, pollution and war are to be relieved.
DBU General Secretary Dr. Heinrich Bottermann is convinced that this cannot come about without the massive use of renewable raw materials. DBU aktuell spoke to him about the significance of wood as a building material.
Mr. Bottermann, you emphasize regularly that in the future, wood must play a central role as a building material. Why?
Because of its static and physical building performance qualities, wood has an especially broad spectrum of application, in the primary construction of a building as well. But there are many other advantages.
For example?
Take climate protection: the material use of wood as a raw material is an important element here. Through the crushing of the wood and the renewed growth, first, the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide (CO2) is bound. But also, through the long-term presence of the wood in structures, the bound-in CO2 is not released again into the atmosphere.