Wood is the material of the new normal

Sustainable, natural and renewable: wood has accompanied man since its appearance on Earth, and has always been used for its incredible qualities and properties: for example, it has a high breaking strength despite having relatively low density levels and similar to Kevlar or fiber composites; it is both solid and light, making it a particularly suitable for use in structures such as houses, buildings and bridges, as well as for the production of mechanical parts and other products.

Available in over 50,000 varieties, it is capable of storing carbon, helping to remove one of the most dangerous greenhouse gases from the atmosphere and thus reducing climate change impacts.

The forest in a room
We rediscovered that our life is surrounded by wooden products in 2020, the year that completely unhinged our everyday life, redesigned social and work spaces, changed cities and mobility. This is why, in the effort we are making to seek and imagine a new normal, we cannot ignore wood.

As rarely happened in human history, the recent changes we are witnessing are not the result of large and crowded street demonstrations, but of silent reflections gathered within our homes. Here, even if limited in movements and relationships, wood allows us to stay in contact with Nature, in a continuum between inside and outside, physical and mental.

A new vision
Wood in the new normal cannot therefore be simply a substitute for conventional materials, but something that can change the entire production process and add (material and immaterial) value to objects and spaces. Starting from the production chain: even today, deforestation is responsible for the loss of 10 million hectares of forest every year (Source FAO) and it is estimated that 1/3 of the wood sold worldwide has uncertain or illegal origin.

These data indirectly end up fueling a paradox: people love wood, but at the same time they don't want trees cut down. Therefore, the natural origin of the raw material must increasingly correspond to its sustainable use; it will therefore be important to rely on certifications, such as that of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which ensure the supply chain and explain that wood from responsible management makes it possible not only to conserve forests, but also to produce environmental and social benefits.