The Metropolitan Region of Amsterdam (MRA) has signed the Green Deal Timber Construction agreement to build at least 20% of all new construction in the area with timber construction/biobased construction.
The move will reduce annual CO2 by approx. 220,000 tonnes and significantly reduce nitrogen emissions which would have been produced using current typical building materials of steel and concrete.
The Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Metropolitan Service is among the institutes and organisations backing the deal, which notes the Netherlands is to build two million new homes and insulate a further seven million existing homes by 2050.
The MRA includes 32 municipalities, the provinces of North Holland and Flevoland and the Transport Authority Amsterdam.
“Biobased materials, in particular the latest generation of mass timber products, are part of the solution to make our city climate neutral and truly circular,” said Arjan van Timmeren, AMS PI & Professor Environmental Technology & Design (TU Delft). “We are involved in several timber related initiatives to drive innovation and research – and ultimately more adoption – on this important topic.”
An increase in timber construction has long been identified as a trend and goal, however this significant move from a major city is likely to influence other cities and regions to follow.
There is further reading on the AMS Institute site.
Are you in the fastener, tool, fixing or related industries? You can subscribe to Torque Magazine or sign up to our weekly newsletter. If you’re looking for North America-specific news, then you can sign up for our North America Insights newsletter.
