Architect Proposes Using High-Tech Plywood in Place of Concrete and Steel for Building

Canadian architect Michael Green is out to show how the use of high-tech plywood can globally replace steel and concrete. Green has said in his article “Reach for the Sky” which appears in the June 2020 issue of Discover Magazine, “We’re not even close to meeting global needs when it comes to housing people in a safe and affordable way,” Plus, the construction of buildings is responsible for around 10% of all global climate emissions. Green claims that these interrelated problems can both be addressed by building with timber from sustainably grown forests. Wooden buildings actually have the potential to roll back climate change, says Green, because trees soak up carbon and incorporate it into their wood as they grow. “You’re holding on to that carbon until [the wood] burns or rots.” And unlike ordinary lumber, mass timber is highly resistant to fire.