Plans Submitted for ‘House of Wood’ Office Building in Maidenhead
Plans for an office building with a ‘timber superstructure”, the first of its kind in Maidenhead and the wider Thames Valley, have been submitted. Designed...
Read Full ArticleThe French government has announced new sustainability legislation to help make the country carbon-neutral by 2050.
The new law will mandate that new public buildings in France are built from at least 50% timber or other natural materials. This measure will be enforced by 2022.
According to French news outlet Le Figaro, the comment was made by Julien Denormandie, France’s minister for cities and housing, and partly inspired by the 2024 Paris Olympics.
As Le Figaro reports, Denormandie explained that his decision to introduce the law was informed by the construction of the 2024 Paris Olympics complex. Any building in the development that rises more than eight storeys will be built entirely from timber.
"We made this commitment for the Olympic Games," Denormandie said.
"There is no reason why what is possible for the Olympic Games should not be possible for the usual constructions."
The French government will also invest €20 million (£16.8 million) towards constructing 100 urban farms.
These farms will be built in designated areas, with the goal being to create greener suburbs across the country. Denormandie also noted that it may encourage the growth of local produce
According to the BBC, our dependency on concrete and steel comes at a huge environmental cost. Concrete is responsible for 4-8% of the world’s carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. Second only to water, it is the most widely used substance on Earth, accounting for around 85% of all mining and linked to an alarming depletion of the world’s sand. Globally, enough concrete is poured each year to cover the whole of England.
Wood, as a material, is known for removing more carbon from the atmosphere than it adds through manufacture. By using it in construction instead of steel or concrete, this doubles its carbon lowering credentials.
Picture: The French government has announced new sustainability legislation to help make the country carbon-neutral by 2050.
Article written by Ella Tansley | Published 10 March 2020
Plans for an office building with a ‘timber superstructure”, the first of its kind in Maidenhead and the wider Thames Valley, have been submitted. Designed...
Read Full ArticlePrime Minister Rishi Sunak has outlined new plans to dial back the UK’s net-zero policies, to mixed reactions from politicians, business groups and the general...
Read Full ArticleThe media is awash with reports that Rishi Sunak is to dial back on key net-zero policies, including the ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars. ThisWeekinFM...
Read Full ArticleA 7,800 sqm fire and rescue centre in France is the first in a series of future buildings looking to redefine the entrance to the city of Rennes in...
Read Full ArticleA pioneering research building at the University of Freiburg is being hailed as a best-in-class example of a robotically manufactured sustainable...
Read Full ArticlePareto FM has confirmed that it achieved carbon-neutral status across its business in 2022. The company has reduced and fully offset all scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas...
Read Full ArticleThisWeekinFM’s high performing buildings roundup features projects in the Czech Republic, including an environmentally conscious building for a forest management...
Read Full ArticleLeicestershire County Council has appointed Willmott Dixon to build its first net-zero in-operation school. The new £8.5 million 210-place primary school is...
Read Full ArticlePlanon has acquired a majority share in Ubigreen, a PropTech company based in Toulouse, France. Ubigreen specialises in energy and sustainability management...
Read Full ArticleEdgbaston has launched a new phase of a major low-energy lighting switchover that will see LED fittings and strips installed across parts of the 25,000-seater...
Read Full Article