Page 14 - InnoRenew CoE International Conference 2022
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Factors of wood substitution and their effects in the
construction sector
Theresa Boiger1*, Claudia Mair-Bauernfeind1, Tobias Stern1
1 University of Graz, Institute of Systems Sciences, Innovation and Sustainability Research, Merangasse 18/1, 8010 Graz, theresa.boiger@uni-graz.at
* Corresponding author
Impact Assessments of building materials in the construction sector are important to find out how to make the
sector more sustainable. Previous studies showed that using wood instead of other materials has the potential
of reducing environmental impacts (e.g.: Gustavsson et al., 2021; Eberhardt et al. 2019). However, it is unclear
how high the potential for improvements is (considering different impact categories). As the construction sector
shares the limited resource wood with other sectors it is important to consider the direct effects of increasing the
amount of wood in the sector and indirect effects on other wood-processing sectors, e.g. saw residues leading to
side effects in the pulp and paper, or panel industry. Apart from that, it is unknown which measures need to be
taken to increase the share of wood in the construction sector. Increasing the use of wood and substituting other
materials is a complex issue and there are political, economic, social, and technological factors influencing the
decision of the choice of material for buildings, e.g. price elasticity or the acceptance of wood.
Therefore, a system’s perspective needs to be taken, where not only the substitution impacts are assessed but
where also the effects of these influencing factors are accounted for. We propose a system dynamics model
that describes the substitution of wood in the construction sector. The model quantifies the direct and indirect
effects of wood substitution for several impact categories. It includes influencing factors of substitution in the
construction sector to depict the dynamics of the system and gives the opportunity to estimate the impact of
different scenarios. The model will show which factors have a high influence on increasing the use of wood in the
construction sector and the environmental impacts connected with the substitution. This will indicate where
actions need to be taken to improve the sustainability performance of the construction sector.
Keywords: wood substitution, system dynamics model, substitution factors
Acknowledgment: The authors gratefully acknowledge receiving funding from CARpenTiER. The project
CARpenTiER “Modelling, Production and further Processing of Eco-Hybrid Structures and Materials” is funded
within the framework of COMET - Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies by BMK, BMDW and the
Province of Styria. The COMET program is managed by the FFG.
REFERENCES
Eberhardt, L. C. M., Birgisdóttir, H., & Birkved, M., 2019. Life cycle assessment of a Danish office building
designed for disassembly. Building Research and Information, 47(6), 666–680. https://doi.org/10.1080/096
13218.2018.1517458
Gustavsson, L., Nguyen, T., Sathre, R., & Tettey, U. Y. A., 2021. Climate effects of forestry and substitution
of concrete buildings and fossil energy. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 136, 110435. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.110435
14 1 7 – 1 8 N OVE M B E R 2 0 2 2 I I Z O L A , S LOVE N I A
construction sector
Theresa Boiger1*, Claudia Mair-Bauernfeind1, Tobias Stern1
1 University of Graz, Institute of Systems Sciences, Innovation and Sustainability Research, Merangasse 18/1, 8010 Graz, theresa.boiger@uni-graz.at
* Corresponding author
Impact Assessments of building materials in the construction sector are important to find out how to make the
sector more sustainable. Previous studies showed that using wood instead of other materials has the potential
of reducing environmental impacts (e.g.: Gustavsson et al., 2021; Eberhardt et al. 2019). However, it is unclear
how high the potential for improvements is (considering different impact categories). As the construction sector
shares the limited resource wood with other sectors it is important to consider the direct effects of increasing the
amount of wood in the sector and indirect effects on other wood-processing sectors, e.g. saw residues leading to
side effects in the pulp and paper, or panel industry. Apart from that, it is unknown which measures need to be
taken to increase the share of wood in the construction sector. Increasing the use of wood and substituting other
materials is a complex issue and there are political, economic, social, and technological factors influencing the
decision of the choice of material for buildings, e.g. price elasticity or the acceptance of wood.
Therefore, a system’s perspective needs to be taken, where not only the substitution impacts are assessed but
where also the effects of these influencing factors are accounted for. We propose a system dynamics model
that describes the substitution of wood in the construction sector. The model quantifies the direct and indirect
effects of wood substitution for several impact categories. It includes influencing factors of substitution in the
construction sector to depict the dynamics of the system and gives the opportunity to estimate the impact of
different scenarios. The model will show which factors have a high influence on increasing the use of wood in the
construction sector and the environmental impacts connected with the substitution. This will indicate where
actions need to be taken to improve the sustainability performance of the construction sector.
Keywords: wood substitution, system dynamics model, substitution factors
Acknowledgment: The authors gratefully acknowledge receiving funding from CARpenTiER. The project
CARpenTiER “Modelling, Production and further Processing of Eco-Hybrid Structures and Materials” is funded
within the framework of COMET - Competence Centers for Excellent Technologies by BMK, BMDW and the
Province of Styria. The COMET program is managed by the FFG.
REFERENCES
Eberhardt, L. C. M., Birgisdóttir, H., & Birkved, M., 2019. Life cycle assessment of a Danish office building
designed for disassembly. Building Research and Information, 47(6), 666–680. https://doi.org/10.1080/096
13218.2018.1517458
Gustavsson, L., Nguyen, T., Sathre, R., & Tettey, U. Y. A., 2021. Climate effects of forestry and substitution
of concrete buildings and fossil energy. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 136, 110435. https://doi.
org/10.1016/j.rser.2020.110435
14 1 7 – 1 8 N OVE M B E R 2 0 2 2 I I Z O L A , S LOVE N I A
