CRC-P LCA of Mass Timber Construction

Quantifying the embodied emissions and carbon sequestration potential of mass timber construction materials in Australia.

One of the main benefits of sustainably sourced mass timber construction materials is their global warming mitigation potential.

The uptake of mass timber by the AEC industry can have important environmental benefits that include buildings becoming long-term carbon storages, afforestation due to a higher demand for wood, and a reduction of fossil carbon emissions if the materials are used as biomass in the end of their useful life.

Despite these potential benefits, there is not enough information to assess the life cycle impacts of this type of construction when the materials are sourced and processed within Australia.

This project contributes to closing this gap by quantifying the embodied carbon emissions and sequestration potential of the most common mass timber construction materials and construction systems under different scenarios using local data.