By Antolino Gallego Molina
Coordinator of LIFE Wood for Future
Published in Opinión de Ideal on 01/13/2025

More wood for 2025 Antolino Gallego Professor at the University of Granada. Coordinator of the UIMA-UGR laboratory

Link to Ideal: https://www.ideal.es/opinion/antolino-gallego-madera-2025-20250113230324-nt.html

The change of year does not bring anything good regarding the price of housing. It will keep rising. A piece of bad news that conditions our welfare society. The problem is complex, and the solution even more so. One of the reasons is the lack of labor. There are fewer and fewer people available to work in construction, and those who are available ask for more money or change companies in the middle of construction.

This complicated situation requires building under working conditions that encourage workers to bet on this professional path. Thus arises the idea that construction begins in computers and factories so that on-site assembly is quick. This concept is known as industrialized construction, which involves thinking and programming the entire construction process from an office using computerized technology. It is about creating a friendly work environment in which our workers feel attracted by having dignified working conditions.

In industrialized construction, everything must be planned, from computer modeling and the manufacture of housing pieces to the order of manufacturing, transporting, and finally assembling them on-site. This reduces on-site times, improves final quality, guarantees delivery times, and allows the developer to plan investments and profitability properly.

In Spain, industrialized construction only accounts for 1-2%, and advancing in this field requires a change of mentality in the sector and profound changes in university and vocational training. It also requires a change in mortgage law regarding the certification of delivered materials, considering that construction does not start on-site but in the factory.

And what does all this have to do with wood? A lot. For decades, steel, concrete, and brick have been imposed as structural materials. But do they adapt to industrialized construction? Prefabricated concrete and lightweight metal-frame houses are an undeniable reality that will continue to rise. However, in the last fifteen years, the wood structure industry has advanced enormously. Today, the possibility of having computerized robots in factory environments that quickly and automatically cut wood, eliminate its defects, join and glue it to form beams, walls, and large dimensions floors, has allowed wood to enter the global construction industry in a big way. The 186 m high skyscraper projected in the Australian city of Perth is no triviality.

These giant carpentries for housing have enabled wood to reach single-family homes, multi-family buildings, and skyscrapers. Wood is cut, carved, and assembled much better than other construction materials. Additionally, wood is lightweight, so the required foundation will be smaller, transportation will be cheaper, and lifting pieces with cranes will be more agile. This type of construction increased by 300% in Spain in 2024, demonstrating its technical viability.

 

 

However, the usual mantras arise when talking about wood. “Wood burns.” Indeed, wood burns, like other materials, especially those of synthetic origin and fossil fuels. Steel not only burns but collapses almost without warning. Wood has two natural shields against fire. The first is its natural moisture, which acts as a fire retardant. Additionally, when wood starts to burn, it creates a charred layer that, as a thermal insulator, prevents heat from reaching the core of the piece for a certain time.

Another mantra is, “Wood rots.” Wood is born and grows in an outdoor environment where it rains and gets wet. But it also dries, which prevents it from losing its resistant properties. Wood has resistance to decay and insect attack that gives it natural durability, allowing us to find constructions over a thousand years old in perfect structural condition. Design and calculation standards, as well as surface treatments, guarantee the safety of wood against deterioration.

“The construction with wood is expensive,” is the third mantra. Thanks to the industrialization of the entire process, wood is already a competitive material. The proof lies in the various social housing promotions driven by governments such as Navarra or Basque and the municipalities of Seville and Madrid. However, for this to be true, qualified professionals are needed, from architecture firms that know how to design in wood to engineering offices that know how to calculate and program the manufacturing and assembly process.

If industrialized construction helps solve the current construction problem and wood is an ideal material for industrializing construction, will everything be built in wood? The market will decide. However, in the opinion of many professionals, for single-family homes, the solution of lightweight wooden frames is becoming an unbeatable option in terms of low weight, energy efficiency, and speed of manufacture and assembly. For multi-family buildings, high-rise constructions, and medium and large spans, the sector will probably move towards hybrid solutions of concrete, steel, and wood, optimizing the relationship between structural efficiency, costs, and manufacturing and assembly times.

But do we have enough wood? It is not easy to answer this question, especially in the context of global warming where our forests are adapting, and especially in Andalusia, where after decades of forest conservationism and partial dismantling of the forestry industry, we do not even know the current stock of wood. Even so, wood is a renewable material that, managed with sustainability criteria, is infinite.

What we do know is that using Andalusian wood for our houses will be a relief for the health of our forests, biodiversity, people, and the rural economy.