Ursula von der Leyen
In a call for a New European Bauhaus movement, EC President Ursula von der Leyen has proposed that wood can play a key role in transforming the built environment into a carbon sink. Source: Timberbiz
Central to her thinking is Professor Hans-Joachim Schellnhuber of the Potsdam-Institute for Climate Impact Research in Germany, who has recently been named as an ambassador for the New European Bauhaus High-level Roundtable and who will deliver the keynote address of the first conference of the Wood4Bauhaus Alliance.
Welcoming the President’s inspirational new initiative, the European wood-based sector launched the Wood Sector Alliance for the New European Bauhaus (Wood4Bauhaus.eu) to establish an open platform of stakeholders. This newly established sectoral alliance is initiated by several umbrella organisations: the InnovaWood EU network for wood research, innovation and education, the European Wood-Based Panel Federation (EPF), the European Confederation of Woodworking Industries (CEI-Bois), the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW) and the European Organisation of the Sawmill Industry (EOS). It has also the support of the Horizon 2020 project consortia BASAJAUN and WoodCircus.
wood4bauhaus.eu intends to become an active Partner of the New European Bauhaus and, as a first initiative, will hold on 8 April 2021 a Virtual Conference on how the wood sector can contribute to the new Bauhaus.
Wood is an extremely versatile natural material and a circular material par excellence. Long-life products using wood can store carbon for decades or even centuries in buildings and living spaces. The conference aims to raise awareness of the transformative power of the Circular Economy, put a spotlight on the versatility of innovative wood-based products and building systems, and propose dedicated co-creation partnerships with the wood sector for the New European Bauhaus.
“We are delighted that Professor Schellnhuber, one of the brains behind the new Bauhaus, has agreed to address our conference which will highlight the key role wood can play in tackling climate change, providing affordable housing and bringing beauty into our built environment,” Paul Brannen, Head of Public Affairs for CEI-Bois & EOS and a former MEP, said.
Dr Uwe Kies, Secretary-General of InnovaWood, said the New European Bauhaus is a great opportunity for companies, researchers and students in the wood sector to become part of this transformative movement.
“Joining our forces and knowledge we can co-create climate-friendly solutions and literally build a more sustainable future for our cities and rural areas. We welcome all who wish to take this first step with us,” he said.
Tom Deleu, General Secretary of the European Federation of Building and Woodworkers (EFBWW) said the alliance would demonstrate that more building and renovation with wood will contribute to the EU’s ambition to turn the building sector into a carbon sink. It will also be demonstrated with plenty of examples that climate friendly and energy-efficient buildings can be attractive and comfortable and, the sector can also be a driver for quality jobs in rural areas
