Timber homes take three to five months to erect compared to eight to 12 months for regular homes. Yet only a quarter of new homes built in Ireland are made of wood. With property prices increasing alongside the social housing crisis, a solution lies in the construction of timber-framed homes.
What’s more, each timber home saves 12 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions. According to Forest Industries Ireland (FII), part of employers’ lobby Ibec, this equates to a drastic reduction of greenhouse gas emissions over a 30-year housing plan.
To this end, Ireland has extremely valuable forests. And the country grows timber for the construction industry faster than anywhere else in Europe. “This a major natural resource and we should utilise it to build the homes we need and lock away millions of tonnes of carbon at the same time. Government should be promoting and enabling timber construction,” says Mark McCauley, FII director.
Meanwhile, the Property Industry Ireland conference takes place on Wednesday, 15 June at Clontarf Castle. Leaders in the Irish property and construction industry will address the main concerns facing housing, commercial, industrial and retail real estate in Ireland.
The main theme for this year’s conference is Delivering the Cities, Towns and Villages of the Future. Speakers will focus on The Business Case for Sustainable Living and Land Use, Management and Supply.
Book here.