Architects and designers love PEFC-certified wood at Expo 2015

12 November 2015 Sustainable construction

From the Slow Food Area designed by the prestigious Swiss firm Herzog & de Meuron, to the pavilions of China, France, Thailand and Save the Children, PEFC-certified wood from sustainably managed forests is at the heart of all of them.

In fact, more than 27,000 cubic meters of PEFC-certified wood can be found in the pavilions and facilities of the 2015 Universal Exhibition in Milan.

As part of the Expo celebrations, PEFC International Stakeholder member ATIBT (International Technical Association of Tropical Forests) and ALA Assoarchitetti organized a special tropical timber workshop last month, in collaboration with PEFC. Aimed at architects, designers and engineers, the workshop, held at the Polytechnic University of Milan, focused on tropical timber as a sustainable and renewable solution within green construction.

“Sustainable forest management and forest certification both help us to preserve the environment, slow climate change and prevent deforestation,” highlighted Ana Belén Noriega, Secretary General of PEFC Spain, as she spoke at the workshop. “PEFC is driving consumption of local wood from sustainable sources, as well as marketing certified wood from developing countries, including those in Southeast Asia and the Congo Basin.”

"In the area of forest certification, PEFC supports countries as they develop national forest certification systems that defend the sustainable management of forests, the welfare of local populations and to achieve economic, social and environmental balance," she added, as well as highlighting the important role played by architects and designers as prescribers of certified sustainable wood.

The workshop came to a close with participants stressing the importance of wood as a building material, for both inside and outside. By using PEFC-certified wood, architects and builders can achieve excellent grades for construction and rehabilitation projects and for various sustainable building certifications (BREEAM, Passivhaus, etc.), thus demonstrating the commitment to the environment.