Mind the Gap: A Policy Gap Analysis of Programmes Promoting Timber Construction in Nordic Countries

Abstract

The construction sector is one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions and consumers of energy, making it one of the most relevant sectors when planning reduction strategies and policies. The use of timber in the built environment has been identified as a key strategy to reduce the carbon footprint of the construction sector. In this paper, we use the concept of policy gap analysis to identified underlying challenges in the implementation of timber construction on three Nordic countries, Finland, Norway, and Sweden. We carried out a series of semi-structured interviews with experts from the countries of study. The interviews came from industry, government, and construction companies. The use of the gap analysis approach was useful not only to identify areas that are being targeted but also those areas that were not covered by any programme at the time of study. The results showed that the studied programmes have a large level of coverage and congruence with the identified challenges. Moreover, they also showed that challenges related to fire safety regulations and insurance policies for timber buildings still need to be addressed, whereas the challenges of high price variability and lack of promotion are being addressed by multiple programmes. With this work, we have seen how timber construction is gaining momentum and how the challenges have been addressed systematically.

Systematic Review on the Barriers and Challenges of Organisations in Delivering New Net Zero Emissions Buildings

“…Insufficiency of technical knowledge and expertise was discussed with respect to other areas as well, such as building code [84], energy efficiency and sustainable technologies [26,32,53,87], building integrated photovoltaics [52], life cycle assessment (LCA) [33], carbon accounting methodologies [91], assessing operation and maintenance cost [91], circular economy strategies [13], energy flexibility strategies such as short-term thermal energy storage in built environment [90], and insufficient recognition of product brands and their competitive advantage [59].…”

“…Keena et al [99] pointed to this issue and mentioned that currently, the service life of most laminated timbers used as structural components is only 60 years, while based on circular economy logic, they should last for at least a hundred years. Another drawback of wood-based materials is their lower fire safety [51], which consequently have stricter fire safety regulations and measures [91], resulting in increased costs. Moreover, mass-engineered timber limits building height, as it is not safe to build high-rise buildings with this material [51].…”

Study of Technological Advancement and Challenges of Façade System for Sustainable Building: Current Design Practice

“…But regardless of their treatments, timber façades require regular maintenance [150]. Furthermore, global fire regulations consistently limit the utilisation of timber in façade construction [151]. Another noteworthy consideration is the reduced biological resistance of timber when employed in façades [152].…”

Massive Wood Construction in Finland: Past, Present, and Future

“…Alongside efforts to standardize construction systems, supporting activities in the industry have been undertaken by individual and government agencies. Massive Wood Construction in Finland: Past, Present, and Future DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.104979 Moreover, according to studies such as policy gap analysis of programs promoting the use of timber in construction in the Finnish context [54], the following are considered among the main obstacles and challenges: (i) demand for stricter fire safety measures compared to traditional building materials; (ii) lack of support from municipalities on tenures for new buildings; (iii) different practices and additional fee demands of insurance companies for timber structures; (iv) lack of knowledge about carbon footprint calculation methods, evaluation of operating and maintenance costs; (v) lack of suitable tools for implementing wood construction projects in BIM; (vi) training offer gap causing a shortage of available experts in the field; and (vii) skepticism about the durability of the material.…”