Local commitment to reuse in the construction industry
If we are to change today’s building practices, we need to meet and share knowledge and experience at all levels of the industry. That’s why it was gratifying that among the 60 attendees were builders, building materials manufacturers, architects, contractors and recyclers.
Traffic light method for reuse in renovation projects
When Betonmast Trøndelag was commissioned to refurbish and build Trondheim Cathedral School in 2022, there was a clear desire from the client, Trøndelag County Council, to look at existing buildings as a source of reused materials. Sondre Synnevåg of Betonmast presented the project, which had a collaborative development phase and included a reuse survey to see which materials could be suitable for reuse and how easily they can be dismantled.
All materials that were defined as “suitable for reuse” were put into a decision matrix to clarify whether reuse would be profitable. The “traffic light model” was established, where Green = low threshold for reuse, Yellow = unsure of the dismantling or reuse potential, Red = not suitable for our project. Whatever fell into the Red category, it was up to the developer to decide whether it should be demolished/thrown away, or sold elsewhere – in which case the income was transferred to the project.
The rehabilitation of Trondheim Cathedral School has shown that it is possible to make the reuse of materials a profitable part of a construction project. The recommendation from the contractor is not to be afraid of tackling the issue, but to make sure you have all the decisions ready before you start demolishing and building. Heather Mason from the county council added that the project had applied for funding from Enova and Klimasats, not large sums of money, but enough to provide scope to try new things and at the same time relieve the contractor of risk.
Do you want to learn more about the traffic light method and the Trondheim Cathedral School project?
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Watch recording of of the webinar “Contract forms for reuse” (Circular Resource Center 27.11.2023)
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Read more about the about the construction project at Betonmast Trønelag
Reuse of interiors and bricks
Today, interiors account for a large proportion of greenhouse gas emissions over the lifetime of a building, because the interior is usually replaced every time the building has new users or tenants. But does it have to be this way?
Kirsti Svennung is head of No.17 – a sustainability network for interior architects, and she talked about how we Norwegians suffer from “renovation sickness”. “140,000 tons of office furniture are thrown away every year. And that’s not counting walls and floors. What are we losing by letting “renovation sickness” go? We know that 80% of the footprint is in the design phase. Svennung was concerned that aesthetics requires a new language, we need to ask other questions, including how we view durability. Should we accept that a “good chair” lasts for 7-10 years, is that good enough?
Product longevity is also important to Høine, which specializes in reusing bricks. Every year, around 50,000 tons of bricks are thrown away in Norway, while at the same time 40,000 tons of new bricks are built. The production of new bricks requires large amounts of energy; the bricks are fired at 110 degrees for three days. Brick is robust and durable, so why not use it several times?
Oskar Bringager, Marketing Manager at Høine, explained how the company has worked on a number of challenges since its inception in 2019, from CE marking to cleaning methods and logistics. They are now also working on introducing lime as a mortar in new brick buildings, to make it easier to dismantle the brick at the next crossroads.
You can read more about Høine’s work and construction projects HERE.
Logistics and market for reused materials
Today, Norway is one of Europe’s least circular countries, with a modest reuse of 2.5% of resources. In the EU and the government, the goal for the construction industry is that 70% of the waste should be reused, and thus one must expect constantly new rules and restrictions.
The recycling companies Sirkula and Østlandet Gjenvinning (ØG) want the building materials they currently receive as waste to be reused to a much greater extent. That’s why they have developed a pilot project for a reuse center in Inland Norway, and are now working on ownership and financing.
The plan is to start with a reuse center near Hamar, but at the same time establish a digital platform that makes it possible to trade reused goods without intermediate storage. The reuse center will support the professional players; contractors, real estate companies and builders. The short-term goal is to reuse as much as possible, but within three years the aim is for the business to be profitable.
The project was presented by Ingrid Staveland Reppe from Sirkula and Jon Inge Kjørum from ØG, who encourage the entire industry to work together on the establishment of a reuse center, which they believe will be crucial to meet future rules and requirements for reuse.
You can read more about the reuse center HERE
Possible local measures for increased reuse
The session was rounded off with a “World Cafe”, led by Christopher Mc Cormick from Klimavennlige bygg Innlandet. The aim was to involve the bright minds in attendance in solving the challenges of the future around reuse, and here you can see some of the input:
Experience sharing and pilot projects:
– Arrange an experience gathering with reuse projects from Inland Norway
– Start pilot project(s) with documentation of climate benefits and learning
Construction site and supplier collaboration:
– Test local solution for material accounting on construction sites
– Enter into an agreement with local packaging manufacturers on a circular test scheme
Value chain and tool support:
– Influence builders to introduce reuse requirements in procurement
– Develop local LCA module that includes reuse, in collaboration with educational environment
Responsibility and interaction:
– Gather stakeholders in a joint meeting to clarify roles in reuse projects
– Create a checklist/template for roles and responsibilities through project phases
Communication and attitude change:
– Develop a visual campaign: “Reuse is quality”
– Involve pupils and students in the development of new expressions and solutions based on reuse
Logistics and infrastructure:
– Establish test of physical intermediate storage in the Hamar region
– Pre-project for digital logistics platform (availability and timing of materials)
The reuse center in Innlandet:
– Working group with public and private stakeholders
– Preliminary study with mapping of location, players, operation and financing
The next professional gathering for the Construction Industry of the Future in Inland Norway will be held on Thursday, October 30 in Hamar.
Information is shared through newsletters and the website www.klimavennligebygg.no.
Will test circular lumber foil
Timber and building products need to be protected through packaging to retain their quality. However, to become more sustainable, companies need to solve their packaging needs in a way that reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
The aim of the new project, named “Circular lumber foil”, is precisely to develop and test on an industrial scale a closed loop of lumber foil to contribute to reduced resource consumption and increased circularity of plastics in the wood and construction industries. In addition, the project aims to help reduce the use of plastic in the timber and construction industries.
– “Through the new project, we hope to lay the foundation for a circular value chain for plastic packaging for the wood and construction industries. The experience gained from the project will also be used to identify new, specific pilots for circular solutions related to wood in buildings, which have the potential for upscaling,” says project manager Håvard Sørlie of Norwegian Wood Cluster. He explains that the project recently held a kick-off meeting.
– There was great commitment and relevant expertise among the participants in the project group, so it was a motivating meeting,” says Sørlie.
Not so easy in practice
Lumber wrap is usually made from a material that is suitable for material recycling. However, a significant proportion of the packaging plastic collected from the construction industry disappears from the cycle and is lost as a raw material for new lumber foil.
Collected plastic is often sent for energy recovery. Other volumes that are sorted may be contaminated or mixed with different plastic materials from construction sites. This prevents collected plastic waste from being recycled into raw materials of good enough quality to be used in film production.
Testing in a closed circular circuit
The idea for the “Circular lumber foil” project emerged in a cluster-to-cluster project on packaging and construction that the Norwegian Wood Cluster carried out in collaboration with the Circular Packaging Cluster 2021-2024.
– To take a closer look at the challenge, we have recruited seven companies that represent the players in the closed circular loop. They will actively participate in the project together with the cluster and test a concrete circular solution. The project will, among other things, collect plastic at the construction site, produce recycled plastic and test it in use,” says project manager Håvard Sørlie in Norwegian Wood Cluster.
– The pilot test will be carried out in a real environment and will ensure that the results of the project reveal both consequences and opportunities related to environmental impact and costs. In addition, the project will reveal the actual plastic consumption and recycling rate of this type of plastic packaging in Norway,” says Sørlie.
Want to share
The purpose of the project is to develop recycled plastic of satisfactory quality and provide a basis for national upscaling of the solution.
– We are pleased that this project has started. Packaging is necessary to preserve the quality of the timber, but today’s use of plastic film causes greenhouse gas emissions that we would very much like to reduce. By sharing the results along the way through the Norwegian Wood Cluster, we hope that a successful solution can actually be rolled out on a large scale,” says Jørn Nørstelien, CEO of Gausdal Treindustrier.
Important project
– “Gausdal Landhandleri is very positive about this project. “We want to reduce the climate footprint resulting from packaging use. The hope is that through the project we will both develop a recycled plastic of satisfactory quality and at the same time get tips on how our own packaging use can be reduced,” says Logistics Manager Paul Erik Hattestad at Gausdal Landhandleri.
Project “Circular lumber foil”
These actively participate in the “Circular lumber foil” project, which is owned by the Norwegian Wood Cluster: Gausdal Treindustrier SA, Gausdal Landhandleri AS, Blåne AS, Østlandet Gjenvinning AS, Litra Containerservice AS, Norfolier GreenTec AS and Haagensen Plast AS. In addition, Norwaste performs assignments for the project. Faggruppe Bærekraft is the reference group for the “Circular lumber foil” project.
The project is supported by Innovation Norway and lasts 2025-2026.
The first reuse center for building materials in Inland Norway
With developments in EU regulations, Norwegian regulations and green financing, it’s clear that the reuse of building materials will become the new norm within a few years.
The preparatory work has been going on for two years, with market and product flow surveys, as well as study trips to facilities for the reuse of building materials in the Nordic region. Clear goals have now been set for the project and a business model developed. The goal is to “establish a physical and digital regional platform for the reuse of building materials, with a critical mass of both goods and users”.
Starting in the Mjø area
As the plans stand, the company will start with an area of around 2,500-3,000 m2. The agreement to lease the site will be signed as soon as the financing is in place. “We’re planning to start in the Mjø area to verify that this is viable. But we’re thinking of eventually setting up a network of centers in Inland Norway and perhaps also outside our own region,” says Jon Inge Kjørum, Marketing and Sustainability Manager at Østlandet Gjenvinning.
Every year, Sirkula and ØG receive around 150,000 tons of waste containing construction fractions, such as wood. In addition, the new center will handle construction products from the construction industry, such as surplus and returned goods.
Aimed at business customers
The initiative is aimed at the professional construction market, and project manager Ingrid Staveland Reppe says that they have held meetings with builders and contractors to understand what it takes to succeed.
On the one hand, the construction industry will be suppliers of reusable goods – what we currently refer to as waste from construction sites. There is a motivation here to save time and money, among other things by not having to pay for a waste fraction. In addition, it would be desirable to have figures for the greenhouse gas accounts that show that less has gone to waste and more to reuse.
When buying reusable goods, the business customer is keen not to lose time or money. “This means that we must have the right goods available at the right time and time-efficient administration and transport. In addition, we must provide quality guarantees for the products and data for the greenhouse gas accounts that show savings, both when submitting and purchasing reusable goods,” says Reppe.
What will the solution look like
The product range will initially be materials for non-load-bearing structures. A great deal of testing and documentation is required for load-bearing structures, and furniture and fixtures are sold through the company Reinventar.
Today, the construction industry pays to get rid of waste, while it will be free to deliver to the reuse center, where you only pay for the transport. – We envision a reuse container at the construction site that is set aside for materials for reuse. The transportation will be handled by an external company, and here we also see some future opportunities with return freight from those who supply building materials,” says Kjørum.
The plan is for the reuse center to become an AS with a general manager and 1-2 employees. However, the acquisition of land, a warehouse, hiring and digital solutions are on hold until the financing is ready.
More people need to join to succeed
Now the project needs more partners to succeed. “We need supporters for the first three-year period, after which the goal is for this to take care of itself,” says Kjørum.
The total cost is stipulated at SEK 6 million over three years. The project needs external funding, and there are many people who want to be involved as partners, but so far it is difficult to get them to commit financially.
Both Kjørum and Reppe foresee this becoming an important business area in just a few years’ time. “I think a lot will happen within a five-year period, and that in the near future we can expect most construction projects to demand a proportion of reused materials,” says Kjørum.
Landheim into the cluster
Landheim AS, which is located in Østre Toten, has been manufacturing and supplying roofing since 1992, and over the years has acquired broad expertise in nail plate-based roof structures, precut and elements. The company currently has around 50 employees.
Landheim AS, which is located in Østre Toten, has been manufacturing and supplying roofing since 1992, and over the years has acquired broad expertise in nail plate-based roof structures, precut and elements. The company currently has around 50 employees.
When it comes to building components, Landheim delivers everything from picking standard lengths to very complex orders with girders and columns, milling for ventilation, notches for hidden supports, customized linings and fittings. The company tailors elements and can deliver completely finished structures with windproofing and pre-primed panels in all colors according to the customer’s wishes.
Company with ambitions
– “We are in a phase where Landheim will be developed further. The way the Norwegian Wood Cluster works and the professional groups that exist in the cluster make it interesting for us to become part of the cluster. We hope to gain useful impulses from the meeting places offered by the cluster, which we can bring back to Landheim, while at the same time contributing to the cluster ourselves,” says CEO Yngve Hansebakken of Landheim. Yngve Hansebakken in Landheim.
– Landheim focuses on high competence, efficiency and implementation capacity. “We are a partner in the ‘SirkTRE’ project, where we hope to test a useful pilot over the next few months. Through our participation in the Norwegian Wood Cluster, we hope for new connections and ideas for innovation with a focus on business benefits,” says Espen Nystuen Pettersen, principal owner and responsible for Landheim’s sales and development work.
Strengthening the cluster
Cluster leader Berit Sanness welcomes Landheim AS as a member of Norwegian Wood Cluster.
– We want more members who use wood in constructions and are therefore very pleased that Landheim is joining the Norwegian Wood Cluster,” says Berit Sanness.
– One of the cluster’s strategic focus areas for the future is to increase the level of expertise, adaptability and innovation in the value chain. Landheim’s focus on competence and efficiency fits like a glove with this initiative,” says the cluster leader.
Formally, it is the board of Norwegian Wood Cluster SA that processes applications for membership of the cluster. Landheim AS was admitted as a member on November 18, 2024.
Top management gathering with new insights
The meeting began with a visit to Dynea AS to learn about the development and production of adhesives for the wood processing industry. We were impressed by an active and innovative lab and test environment that develops and tests adhesives for various types of wood and products for European, Asian and American markets. CEO Tarje Braaten and Innovation and Development Manager Kristin Grostad showcased a company with long traditions, but at the same time a strong, innovative will, which is necessary when supplying adhesive products for different types of wood and applications, and to regions with different climate conditions and regulations for adhesives in wooden buildings.
EU deforestation regulation on the agenda
After the visit to Dynea, the meeting continued at Losby Estate where Emma Berglund from Skogsindustrierna and Johan Freij, advisor and former head of forestry at Danske Bank, were invited to share thoughts and knowledge about upcoming regulations and the future timber market.
Emma Berglund is responsible for the Swedish Forest Industries Federation’s forest issues in the EU and internationally, and follows the processes surrounding the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). She was invited to give us an update on the EU’s work on the EUDR and paint a picture of what we need to prepare for.
The Deforestation Regulation aims to prevent goods that have caused deforestation or forest degradation from being traded in the EU. The regulation includes requirements for due diligence, traceability and information. Although the entry into force of the regulation is likely to be postponed until December 30, 2025, there are major challenges associated with its implementation.
Before the regulations can be put into practice in the EU, there are a number of questions that need to be answered. These include definitions of terms such as “forest destruction” and “plantation forest”, as well as questions about product bans and traceability.
The government has still not decided whether the EUDR will be partially or fully incorporated into Norwegian law, so Norway is currently regarded as a third country. This is unfortunate, and the industry wants clarification as soon as possible. In Norway, the Timber Industry is following up the development of the regulations on behalf of the industrial companies, and the administration of the NWC is in dialogue with the Timber Industry on the matter.
The battle for raw materials – the new reality
Access to raw materials for the woodworking industry is affected by political decisions, the nature agreement, beetle attacks, forest fires and the war in Ukraine. How will this affect the situation in Norway, can we build as much with wood as we want in the future? And how will the competition between wood and other materials in construction develop in the future in light of the nature crisis and climate crisis? We asked Johan Freij, now an independent advisor, but formerly head of forestry at Danske Bank for many years, to look into the crystal ball.
At a time when the construction market is at a standstill, things look bleak for the wood industry. But Freij was concerned about the long-term picture and assured that better times will come. Among other things, this is because there has been a major expansion of pulp production capacity worldwide, which means that there will be a shortage of long-fibre spruce and pine timber, which is important for lighter and stronger products. According to Freij, our Nordic softwood will become increasingly sought after as both pulpwood and building material.
We’re currently experiencing a global recession and a severe shortage of timber. What will it be like when the economy turns around, will the lack of wood become a threat or a reality?
– “I believe that those who are ‘wood stingy’ (stingy = greedy) and get the most out of the log will be the winners in the future,” said Freij. He listed utilization of grot*, thinner saw blades, finger jointing, gluing, composite materials and recyclable and demountable products.
– And remember that air is cheaper than wood. It’s not rational to use solid wood if you can fill the core with air or inferior qualities,” he said. Freij’s closing words were that it’s just a matter of “going with the flow” and working on improving logistics and developing new products.
Large attendance at specialist meeting on climate in the construction industry
Collaboration and dialogue will become more important as the requirements for sustainability in construction projects become more extensive. When the Climate-Friendly Buildings Innlandet project has held meetings and gatherings with players in the industry, the recurring theme has been that “we need a meeting place”. To discuss solutions, opportunities and risks, and share good and bad experiences.
That’s why the project took the initiative for this first professional gathering under the heading “The construction industry of the future in Inland Norway”. On the agenda was knowledge transfer and sharing from processes and construction projects.
Upheaval in the construction industry
The construction industry accounts for 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions and just over 20% nationally, so we all know why emissions need to be reduced. However, there are still many unanswered questions about how, what, who and when. Eivind Selvig from Civitas and the Climate-Friendly Buildings Innlandet project drew a picture of all the ambitions and requirements that the industry must meet in the future. A good mix of expected and planned tightening of requirements in EU regulations and Norwegian regulations.
Meeting the requirements requires methods, knowledge, interdisciplinary collaboration, development and testing of new products and solutions. Suppliers must document the climate and environmental properties of their products and deliveries. Public procurement will set requirements or invite competition for the best deliveries.
– We are facing a paradigm shift throughout the construction industry. The reuse of buildings, building components and materials will become the new normal. We need to look at buildings as a material resource, both when we rehabilitate, rebuild for other uses and when we dismantle entire buildings. In other words, we need to think circularly throughout the process, throughout the building’s lifetime and find solutions that extend its lifetime. We can learn a lot from going back and seeing what and how we did with timber-framed buildings, which are excellent examples of circular solutions with a long lifespan; they can be dismantled, moved and reused,” said Selvig.
Guide for greenhouse gas reductions in buildings
When regulations and methods are constantly changing, it can be difficult to know which measures to prioritize. The Norwegian Association of Building and Construction Contractors (EBA) recommends starting with the measures that cost the least but have the greatest climate impact, which is described in EBA’s guidelines:
Marianne Åvik Bråten, Head of Building and Housing at EBA, gave us an introduction to how the guidelines can be used as a tool when planning a building. Part 1 describes some basic principles of great importance for greenhouse gas emissions that are common to all projects. Part 2 deals with the use of materials in a building project and looks at the most cost-effective measures in relation to possible CO2 reductions when choosing solutions.
– “By going through the guide and assessing the building elements, you can see how you should consider replacing materials to reduce emissions. This is a simplification and cannot be used as a pick list, but it starts the little gray areas when we work on projects,” explained Bråten.
At the same time, she noted that it’s important to look at the big picture: “Some sites may not be suitable for building on. And we need to build durable buildings that will stand up to the future and the climate changes we face, including waterproof basements. At the same time, we need to build in resilience so that we can adapt the buildings and use them for other purposes later. There are many choices to be made, and early involvement of the executing contractor will often be important,” she pointed out.
As a result of more and better products on the market, the EBA is in the process of updating the guide with new CO2 values. The new edition is planned to be launched before Christmas.
Experiences with climate reduction in construction projects
Project manager Kjetil Kjærnes presented the “Stasjonsveien 7-9” project, where Syljuåsen has been both client and contractor. The background was a slightly different call for tenders from Løten municipality, where the order was for a building that could house a medical center in the center of Løten, in return for the municipality providing a long-term lease.
– When you’re a developer, the expected property value in the future is of great importance. That’s why we received a clear recommendation to achieve Breeam certification in this project. But such certifications are expensive and large sums are spent on hired consultants. Is this the way to get the best environmental value for money?” asked Kjærnes.
Kjærnes also highlighted some practical experiences with the weighting of climate in public procurement: “It is entirely possible to weight the environment by setting requirements in the specification, and not in the procurement criteria. Then we think that the environmental goals should be linked directly to CO2 emissions instead of specifying an exact construction method. Can we have competitions on the percentage reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, so that what we achieve beyond the minimum requirement will provide some benefits?” he said.
Public procurement: Stakeholder dialogue is important
The rule of 30% weighting of climate in public procurement was introduced on January 1, 2024. How do you rig these tenders to maximize the environmental impact while ensuring that local and regional bidders can participate in the competition? We invited the municipalities of Hamar and Alvdal to share their experiences.
Hamar Municipality shared experiences from its market dialogue with building and construction contractors and the Association of Mechanical Contractors (MEF). “We wanted to get answers to some important questions: where does the market think there are the most environmental benefits to be gained, and what do they think about our proposed environmental and climate requirements,” said Östgård, sustainability engineer at Hamar Municipality.
In the process, the award criteria from DFØ’s guide were used as a backdrop. “Some of the experiences we made are that the market in Inland Norway is ripe for fossil-free (not emission-free) building and construction sites, and that many are concerned about transport, material use and reuse of masses,” she explained. The plan is to continue the market dialogue, including with waste management companies.
In Alvdal, regional procurement advisor Hanne Maageng Olsen has been involved in the early phase of planning for new care homes, where they want to use climate-friendly materials and at the same time build local expertise. “Anchoring is very important, and we have received a decision from the municipal council that we will move forward with “green building” and that we will look further into possible forms of contracting,” she began.
In October, the municipality invited suppliers to a dialog meeting. One of many suggestions was that the requirements for the number of reference projects should not be too high if local contractors are to take part in the competition. “The participants were very positive about this type of dialogue, and the municipality received good input for further work,” said Maageng Olsen.
Want a permanent meeting place
The conference was rounded off with a Menti survey on usefulness and what thoughts the participants have about establishing a permanent meeting place for “The construction industry of the future in Inland Norway”. In summary, most were very positive, both in terms of form and professional content. An overwhelming majority would like to see two such meeting places a year, and preferably more time to mingle.
The Climate-Friendly Buildings Inland project is following up the input in collaboration with the stakeholders who participated in the planning of the conference: EBA Innlandet, Arkitektforeningen Hedmark og Oppland, Innlandet County Council, Hamar Municipality, Østlandet Gjenvinning and Tema Eiendom.
Project Climate-friendly buildings Innlandet
The aim of the project is to speed up the transition to more climate-friendly construction in the region. Climate-friendly use of materials is central to the project, and knowledge is being disseminated about greenhouse gas calculations/budgets, certification schemes, forms of construction, rehabilitation and reuse.
Duration: February 2023-February 2026
Target group: All players who order or deliver services/products for construction in Inland Norway
Led by: Norwegian Wood Cluster, Civitas and Norconsult
Funded by: Innlandet County Council and Innovation Norway. The state administrator supports the project.
Read more and sign up for newsletters: www.klimavennligebygg.no
Kristiansand leads the way
Today, Kristiansand can showcase exciting office buildings, apartment buildings and student housing made of wood. “Politicians gave us clear guidelines to ensure increased use of wood in larger buildings. We have followed up on this,” says Venke Moe, Head of Planning and Building in Kristiansand Municipality.
Clear political guidelines
In 2015, Kristiansand became a member of Nordic Cities of Wood. At the time, Kristiansand lacked major reference projects in wood, and politicians called for the use of wood in buildings.
– In 2018, there were formulations in the community section of the recently adopted municipal plan that stated that all development should be based on environmentally friendly materials and low greenhouse gas emissions, but school buildings were still being planned in concrete and steel. “The politicians didn’t like that, and the political order to increase the use of wood in larger buildings was therefore tightened,” says Venke Moe, Head of Planning and Building in Kristiansand Municipality.
– “We obtained assessments from the Ministry of Local Government and Modernization to make sure that the guidelines we wanted to use were in accordance with the Planning and Building Act. The Ministry confirmed that we had the authority to mandate the use of wood in building structures in the zoning regulations,” says Moe.
Since then, a number of exciting wooden buildings have popped up in the municipality.
Visited exciting wooden buildings
As a result of the interesting developments in Kristiansand in recent years, the Norwegian Wood Cluster recently arranged a study trip to the Kristiansand area for its members. A couple of representatives from the Innotre cluster in Agder also took part. Jørgen Tycho, architect and founder of Oslotre, was responsible for the program.
In addition to meeting Head of Planning and Building Venke Moe, the participants got to see student housing, apartment buildings and office buildings in the city of Kristiansand. They also visited Aanesland Treindustri and Vennesla Kulturhus in neighboring municipalities.
Want more study tours
Everyone found it interesting to hear the city planning manager tell the story behind the conscious wood investment in Kristiansand. Participants also expressed interest in Norwegian Wood Cluster organizing new study tours.
– The Kristiansand trip was top-notch in terms of content and included prepared and educational presentations. Both useful and inspiring. I hope there will be more study tours,” says architect and partner Jørn Reiner of Kontur Arkitekter.
– “This gave us a taste for more. There is definitely value in visiting good example buildings and, not least, meeting architects, developers and contractors to hear their assessments and experiences,” says Head of Department Eivor Slåtten, Norconsult.
– “It was interesting to visit the various buildings and make contact with both builders and contractors. In addition to the professional benefits, the trip served as a useful meeting place for new connections,” says CEO Steinar Lyseng of Vyrk Innovation.
Norwegian-Swedish collaboration on the reuse of wood in buildings
The aim of the workshop was twofold; to exchange experiences of reuse in practice to learn about what works well, and at the same time identify obstacles to scaling up.
Reuse from different perspectives
The speakers at the workshop represented both countries and different parts of the value chain.
Kristine Nore, project manager for the circular project “SirkTre”, painted a picture of the market situation for the reuse of wood. Nina Jacobsson Stålheim from the City of Gothenburg showed us how the city is actively working to achieve its ambitious goal of becoming an “ecologically sustainable city” by 2030. Morten Dybesland from Statsbygg opened with a proposal for discussion: “What can Statsbygg achieve together with the wood industry?”.
From the building materials chain Beijer, Peter Bergengren presented a number of measures that have been taken to reduce waste on construction sites and facilitate the reuse of materials in new buildings. The Norwegian building materials trade was represented by Optimera and Saint-Gobain Distribution, where Ingrid Kalstad and Kathrine Backe highlighted logistics as an essential key to success.
Useful discussions
Plenty of time was set aside for discussions during the workshop to gather as much experience as possible from the participants. What are the opportunities and obstacles when it comes to using wood recovered from previous construction projects? What support needs do companies already working with reuse see? How can you take smaller experiments with reuse and scale them up?
The workshop was organized by the Interreg project Circular Bioeconomy Arena, owned by Paper Province and Norwegian Wood Cluster, in collaboration with Omtre AS, which leads the SirkTre project in Norway. On the Swedish side, Innovatum Science Park and Dalarna Science Park are partners in the Interreg project. On the Norwegian side, Kjeller Innovation, Klosser Innovation and Circular Packaging Cluster are important suppliers to the project.
Follow-up of the global nature agreement
Professor Vigdis Vandvik, University of Bergen, is a member of the UN’s Panel on Nature and was a member of the Natural Hazards Committee that recently submitted its recommendations. She was invited to the owners’ meeting in NWC on April 17 to give the participants better insight into the nature agreement and the consequences for the forest and wood industry.
We won’t stop doing forestry
Vigdis Vanvik advised the industry to be a little ahead of the game and reduce the level of conflict. She had the following message about sustainable forestry:
– “We need to have an eternal perspective and not consume the foundation. We’re not going to stop forestry, but we need to look at the entire food chain, reduce waste and make products that last longer. The footprint of the forest must be reduced, and resources must be extracted in a way that causes less damage to the ecosystem. Not everything can be solved through protection,” said a committed Professor Vigdis Vandvik to an attentive audience.
Solar energy and nature
– We have a global climate crisis, but it could also be much worse, and we have more room for maneuver than we are exploiting. The biggest impact will come from using more solar energy. The second most important thing we can do for the climate is to take care of more of the nature we have. The climate crisis exacerbates the nature crisis,” said Vandvik.
Nature agreements
The UN Nature Panel has laid much of the foundation for the global nature agreement that was adopted in Montreal in 2022. The nature agreement aims to stop and reverse the loss of nature and ecosystems.
– The Nature Panel compiles knowledge. It is an important arena for showing what we agree on. A total of 24 members of the Nature Panel were present in Montreal during the negotiations. “There were 10,000 participants from the business community,” said Vandvik. She believes that nature is Norway’s environmental policy Achilles heel.
– “Land use change is the biggest threat to Norwegian species and Norwegian nature,” said Vandvik.
Large carbon storage
Norwegian nature stores almost three times as much carbon as the world average due to very large underground storage.
– CO2 molecule that is sequestered in a tropical forest lasts about 14 years. With us, we are at 60. This means that our carbon is retained much longer in the ecosystems,” said Vandvik.
– “For Norway, the nature agreement means that we must economize more with nature and prioritize needs, we must move from a linear to a circular view of resources, and we must think a little less economic gain here and now. We need to take a more long-term view in order to contribute to a system that will work into the future,” said Vandvik.
dialog
Magne Vikøren, Communications Director at Moelven Industrier, led the subsequent dialog between Professor Vigdis Vandvik and representatives of the forest and wood industry in an excellent manner.
– In recent years, there has been a lot more focus on our value chain; surface harvesting, lifespan, documentation, climate declarations, transport emissions. Because we make our living from a natural product, the focus will be on us going forward. Forestry must be sustainable. What does that mean for us?” asked Vikøren.
– “There are significant changes in the forestry we’re doing now compared to 30 years ago, so I’d say we’re showing a great willingness to change in forestry. The challenge for the social debate we have today is that people are bringing up something that happened in the 1960s. The problem for our industry is that it takes 30 years before you see the results of implemented changes. The time perspective is also a problem with regard to carbon accounting systems,” said Yngve Holth, Business Policy Manager at Glommen Mjøsen Skog.
– “I think there’s a lot of good stuff going on and that we have the momentum to make the innovation race happen. I see the NWC as a great way to join forces, so I’m optimistic about the future. We need to work more together, get more involved in standardization, make it easier to use wood, reduce waste throughout the value chain and increase the proportion of long-life products,” said CEO Tarje Braaten, Dynea. Tarje Braaten, Dynea.
– There are a lot of opportunities and challenges, but we need to move forward on documentation. We need to take on board the nature part. For example, how to reuse the materials. If we’re to achieve this, we need to plan correctly from the start. And then there’s the question of who picks up the bill for more circularity. By the way, solid wood doesn’t solve everything; we need to use the right structures in the right place. Then we know that the building can last much longer than 80-90 years,” said Sustainability Manager Hege Voll Midtgaard, Bergene Holm.
– So what should this value chain do more of, and what should we do less of in the future,” said Magne Vikøren and received a brief summary from Vigdis Vandvik.
– “If you can manage to be a little ahead of the curve, collaborate more and give a little to the nature side in the public debate, I think there’s a lot to be gained from that. If you reduce the level of conflict, both the industry and nature will have a lot to gain,” Vandvik concluded.
Annual meeting 2024 - positive development
Once again this year, there was a good turnout of members at the annual meeting of the Norwegian Wood Cluster, which this time was held at Prøysenhuset in Ringsaker on Wednesday, April 17. The premises provided an unusual and pleasant setting for the meeting.
Good support for cluster work
– Despite a demanding market, the cluster continues to attract interesting members and activity in key areas is high. Thanks to support from Innlandet County Council and Innovation Norway, we are developing the cluster further this year, with the ambition of being promoted to the cluster program,” said Chairman of the Board Jan Tore Meren, who thanked the members for their support of the cluster’s work.
– Climate crisis and nature crisis, various demands in the wake of the EU’s Green Deal… There are many challenges for our value chain, but also some opportunities. The value chain’s commitment to circular solutions has increased in recent years. During 2024, as part of our strategy work, we will consider whether the cluster should take a more active role in this area,” said Meren.
The annual report and financial statements for 2023 showed a positive trend in terms of both activity and finances. The board received full support in all matters at the annual meeting.
Study tours as a new offering
Cluster manager Berit Sanness reviewed the status of ongoing projects and informed about the plans for new projects that member companies want to be prioritized.
– “We try to let new projects have one of the subject groups as their ‘home’. Right now we have a new project underway in the circular area, and this topic belongs within the Sustainability theme group. We also have a new project underway within the Future Building Solutions subject group,” said Berit Sanness. She was pleased that the cluster is now recruiting a further full-time project manager, this time in the competence area of wooden structures.
– With an additional resource person in the cluster administration, we should be able to capture the companies’ needs to an even greater extent and rig relevant projects,” said Sanness.
– “Until now, we haven’t organized study tours to look at construction solutions. As more member companies want this, we are now organizing study tours at the end of May, in June and in September,” said Sanness.
