In Chile they advance in a work table with architects

2023-08-04 -

To promote the construction with wood in height

The National Center of Excellence for the Wood Industry (CENAMAD) and the Association of Architects Offices in Chile (AOA) agreed to form a Working Group to promote construction with wood at height. They project a collaborative work that initiates seminars, talks and demonstration of success stories that encourage the different actors to work on projects with wood.
The National Center of Excellence for the Wood Industry, CENAMAD, held this Wednesday, July 19, the first strategic meeting with the Association of Architects Offices in Chile (AOA), with the purpose of raising and identifying the main gaps for each one. industry players, who have hindered the design, execution and massification of medium and high-rise wooden buildings in the country.
The meeting was held at the AOA premises located in Providencia. During a corporate lunch, the first round table was held with different architects representing the companies Archiplan, Izquierdo Lehman, Badia and Soffia, Gonzalo Mardones V. and Turner Arquitectos.
The general manager of the center, Francisca Lorenzini, together with the deputy director of Transference, Felipe Victorero; They presented the work that has been carried out in the last decade around wood construction. Likewise, they presented the great environmental advantages of this materiality, compared to traditional buildings with concrete.
They also explained the multiple environmental and technical benefits that lead us to consider wood as a privilege to counteract climate change.
Wood is the only renewable and recyclable building material; it has the capacity to absorb CO2 and its industrialization generates less GHG than other materials; produces less waste; it is flexible and light in weight; fire resistant; and increases construction speed with lower cost.
The architects raised different questions that arose from the presentation at the work table: Is there any financing for this type of project from the banking sector? How can we include the real estate sector in this work table?
At the same time, they presented initiatives related to the industrialization of wood; such as the need to generate early integration of all the actors involved in a building project. They also considered that the construction structure should be redefined.
“Technological development is super interesting. I see a future look on materials, the importance of wood, the environment and architecture. I feel that it is a work table with high-level architects that will allow us to advance on these issues, and to be able to bridge those gaps that the wood industry requires today", commented Lucía Ríos, general manager of the company, at the end of the meeting. AOA.
Lastly, the participants agreed to schedule five roundtable sessions that will be held during the last semester of the year. It is expected that, from the next meetings, a collaborative work will begin that will start seminars, talks or presentation of success stories that encourage the construction with wood in height.