Cross-Laminated Timber Construction Touted as Affordable, Green

Cross-laminated timber (CLT) and other mass timber products are considered greener than concrete and steel, primarily because the carbon emissions from production of the framing materials are much lower. Two firms designing an affordable housing project using CLT in Boston say it can be a prototype for sustainable construction that other housing developers could use throughout the city.

CLT is a renewable resource if the wood used to make the products comes from a sustainably managed forest. Buildings constructed with CLT also function as carbon sinks because trees store carbon dioxide in their wood.

In addition, CLT buildings require fewer resources because the material does not have to be covered up with other materials, unlike what is common with concrete and steel structures.

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