Timber construction within the coalition 2

Berlin, November 22, 2021 | Today in Berlin, the “Coalition for Timber Construction” presented itself to the public. The coalition is an initiative for sustainable building with wood, led by so-called “ambassadors.” Scientists, planners, architects, and project developers aim to raise awareness in society and politics about strengthening timber construction in Germany.

“Our goal is to strengthen political acceptance and create the legal framework so that this sustainable building method is promoted more widely,” said Ambassador Lorenz Nagel from PRIMUS developments GmbH. In view of the increasingly demanded ESG criteria, he sees timber construction as playing a crucial role. He called for “more courage.” “We need fewer ‘yes, buts’ and more enablers,” Nagel continued. The administration must open itself to sustainable building.

Support came from Marc Böhnke, architect (Dipl.-Ing.) at greeen! architects, who pointed to the enormous potential of timber construction in Germany and Europe: “Timber construction can make an immense contribution to achieving climate goals when approached with holistic and ecological planning and implementation. The resources are available in our domestic forests. This does not mean cutting down forests recklessly, but rather making them more resilient to climate change while responsibly processing monocultures.”

Gudrun Sack, CEO of Tegel Project GmbH and also an ambassador, emphasized that wood is the material of the future. “We will build the planned 5,000 apartments in the Tegel Project with wood. This will create the largest wooden residential quarter in Europe.” She also pointed out that the wood needed for the project will come from Berlin’s forests. “Berlin can become a pioneer for timber construction; fortunately, the state building regulations have been set on the right course,” Sack stressed.

Reinhart Eberl-Pacan, CEO of brandschutz plus GmbH, criticized the inconsistencies of the 16 state building regulations (LBO). “The patchwork of state regulations is one of the biggest obstacles to timber construction, especially for high-rise buildings. Federal and state governments should clearly commit to timber construction. A mere statement that ‘we want to build with wood’ is not enough. The LBOs must be specifically revised, and wood must be treated equally with other building materials,” Eberl-Pacan stated.

In the coming months, following the new federal coalition’s inauguration, the Coalition for Timber Construction plans to engage in intensive dialogue with responsible policymakers. The initiative will also network with the federal states. The ambassadors form an interdisciplinary cross-section of timber construction expertise. “With our Coalition for Timber Construction, we will not only advance sustainable building in Germany, but we will also educate at various levels with the expertise of our ambassadors,” said initiator Sun Jensch from DAPB – German Agency for Policy Consulting.

Closing note:
The Coalition for Timber Construction is organizationally hosted by DAPB – German Agency for Policy Consulting. As the founding body, DAPB directs and coordinates the activities of the ambassadors and partner companies within the coalition. It thus builds a bridge between politics and business in both directions. DAPB aims to support the transition toward greater sustainability and climate protection.