If we imagine ourselves going back to the years 1925-1935, we can picture the surprise, confusion,and skepticism surrounding this new method of construction. How would a craftsman of that erareact to the idea of creatinga woodenformworkinto which we pour a mix of cement, sand, gravel,and insert thin metal rods tied together with wire?He would surely think you were crazy, especially if you explained that with this method, you couldbuild structures over 10 stories high, while traditional constructions of stone and brick at the timebarely reached three. History has shown that the use of reinforced concrete in Greece has nowbecome a traditional technique, contributing significantly tothe country’s constructiondevelopment. An even more impressive statistic is that a 100m² house made from CLT saves 40 tonsof CO2, while a car produces 1.6 tons of CO2. In other words, by building a 100m²timberhouse, weoffset the carbon footprint of acar for the next 25 years!A CLT construction doesn’t just replace reinforced concrete; it offers a new building typology—onethat is far more sustainable and efficient! After all, the most important engineering aspect of abuilding is the building itselfand the materials from which it is constructed.
Revolutions happen slowly and steadily, with knowledge passed from generation to generation.Timberconstruction is here to establish itself and dominate in the coming years until it, too, becomesa traditional technique! Like every revolutionary idea, it will surely face reasonable, natural, andnecessary skepticism. I imagine the first great revolution in human history—the agriculturalrevolution, 10,000 years ago. When cave people had to hunt daily to survive, some of their“colleagues”/began observing the growth patterns of plants. They would taste-test different plantsto see if they were edible, plant their seeds in various spots, and take care of them as they blossomedand grew. I imagine their peers mocking them:“You sit and watch flowers instead of hunting? You’llstarve…”Yet, those first revolutionaries persisted and created crops, whose benefits far surpassedthe daily hunt.This is how the first revolution happened—with persistence, faith, careful observation, and ascientific approach to resource management and the creation of opportunities for greater results.Other revolutions followed on a global scale, serving as sources of inspiration and creativity.This is how we now see the need to transition to shaping our new building stock with a historicalmaterial, but with modern and advanced technologies.