As we understand it today, the sustainable architecture movement began to take shape at the end of the 20th century. Essentially, it responds to growing concerns about environmental degradation, energy consumption, and resource scarcity. In this global discourse on sustainable architecture, wood has long been celebrated as a symbol of environmental consciousness and decarbonization. As one of the most widespread building materials, it has gained popularity with the rise of this movement. This is because trees absorb carbon dioxide during their growth, which stays in the wood during its construction use, keeping it out of the atmosphere.
In fact, wood has become a pillar of the decarbonization design movements. Due to this extraordinary capacity to capture carbon dioxide throughout its growth, its absorption and soring technique of carbon of its fibers, and its ability to continue storing the carbon instead of releasing it after its usage. Moreover, wood is also praised for its ability to be renewed, setting it apart from many other building materials. Sustainable forestry practices ensure the replanting of trees to replace those that are harvested.
Wood also offers significant advantages for energy efficiency and architectural flexibility. As a natural insulator, it gives structures thermal insulation and lowers their need for heating and cooling energy. This natural energy efficiency greatly benefits lower operating energy use and associated emissions. Due to these many reasons and its cultural and historic significance in Europe and the Americas, the appeal of wood and its role in the sustainable movement is understandable.
Most recently, it has been used in this framework for many projects that shaped the trajectory of the design industry over the past couple of years. In Lina Ghotmeh’s Serpentine Pavilion, “À Table,” the proposal is composed of a slender wooden structure resting on a colonnade of slim laminated timber columns. The proposal’s primary aim is to minimize the carbon footprint of the pavilion as much as possible and uses laminated veneer lumber that allows for a slenderer structure compared to the widely used cross-laminated timber (CLT). Additionally, it has recently been used in a new era of experimentation, enabling the construction of timber skyscrapers worldwide. Structures such as the Mjøstårnet Tower in Norway or The Farmhouse by Precht Designs, which combines timber skyscrapers, modular homes, and vertical farming, have recently emerged as innovative timber skyscrapers.
However, this perspective predominantly stems from a Western worldview, where the abundance of wood and its historical significance is deeply ingrained. The narrative takes a different turn in regions such as the arid Middle East, where desert landscapes dominate. Due to multiple challenges, wood cannot be used as a primary building material. Wood is not readily available in these arid environments, where local vernacular architecture reflects centuries of adaptation to severe climates and scarce resources. Furthermore, the conventional utilization of wood as the main component of sustainable design inherently conflicts with the realities of arid regions.
The main reason why the solution of wood to the climate crisis does not apply to The Middle Eastern region is simply the lack of its availability. The region is not known for its extensive forests, and the overall percentage of forested land is generally low compared to the other parts of the world. Despite many efforts to promote local alternatives, such as the establishment of the Higher Committee for Wood (HCW) in Egypt, which investigates cutting-edge solutions like using agricultural waste to manufacture medium-density fiberboard (MDF), the demand for wood is yet to be met by Middle Eastern supply. In fact, the majority of the Middle East’s wood needs are still satisfied by imports.
Relying on wood importation as a critical building material can have serious environmental effects. Firstly, moving wood over large distances generates significant transportation emissions. In fact, approximately 34% of carbon emissions worldwide are due to transportation distances between the lumber industry and the consumer. Importing goods results in higher fuel consumption, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emissions from ships, vehicles, and airplanes. Additionally, the energy-intensive manufacturing procedures used to create wood goods in some exporting nations may cause the material's embodied energy and carbon emissions to increase. Finally, the overuse of natural resources in the nations where imported wood is produced may result in habitat damage, deforestation, and resource depletion at large. Construction projects and area economies are particularly at risk from the sensitivity to supply chain disruptions brought on by geopolitical unrest, natural disasters, or transportation challenges.
Apart from the set of challenges involved in locating and using available wood in Middle Eastern regions, there is the issue of its challenges when used as a construction material. Arid regions are inherently extremely dry, with low annual precipitation levels and a limited availability of water. Moreover, when using wood as a construction technique in these regions, one of the main challenges is durability. Wood in arid regions is highly susceptible to dryness and has the potential for cracking, warping, or even rotting. In terms of processing, wood processing can be water-intensive, while arid regions typically have limited water resources.
While wood has become a representation of sustainability and decarbonization in Europe and the Americas, its standing as the Middle East's model for such initiatives appears unachievable due to the region's unique resource and environmental issues. Alternative locally accessible materials that align with vernacular design and environmental conscience take center stage in dry Middle Eastern areas where timber resources are scarce. These options are crucial for creating structures complementing the area's distinctive climatic conditions and cultural heritage. Moreover, these alternatives become more essential and demand an innovative focus to deeply understand how they can become the heroes of arid urban landscapes during the present climate crisis.
A possible alternative is using earth-based materials, including adobe and rammed earth. Middle Eastern architecture has employed adobe for ages because it provides good thermal insulation and has a low embodied energy. Rammed earth construction is a sustainable and climate-responsive option because it involves compressing layers of earth within a frame to create load-bearing walls. Stone is still another practical choice, especially in areas with a wealth of nearby stone resources. Stone structures are ideal for arid conditions because they have a lot of thermal mass, which helps them control interior temperatures. The Middle East has also employed palm fronds and date palm leaves for roofing and shade structures, providing natural insulation and sustainable material options that blend in with traditional regional architecture.
At this year’s 18th annual International Architecture Exhibition, La Biennale di Venezia, the UAE National Pavilion explored similar themes. Their pavilion, “Aridly Abundant,” was a curated research project exploring architectural possibilities in, with, and for arid landscapes. Moreover, the pavilion investigates how future and contemporary technological practices can be integrated into the built environment for landscapes such as dunes, wadis, desert plateaus, and coastal plains.
These readily available materials become valuable substitutes for wood as the urgency of the climate crisis increases and invaluable tools in creating resilient and sustainable urban landscapes. They can enable architects and builders in the Middle East to create ecologically conscious structures that harmonize with nature, save resources, and honor cultural heritage through innovative approaches to their utilization and a profound understanding of their natural features. In fact, these vernacular materials could potentially become the hidden heroes of sustainable building in arid areas, providing workable ways to deal with the problems posed by a changing climate.
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topics: The Future of Wood in Architecture presented by Tantimber ThermoWood.
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