Wood innovation in the residential construction sector; opportunities and constraints

We study the opportunities to increase the use of wood in the Dutch residen tial construction sector and assess the effects on material related CO2 emi ssion. Four house types are modeled with increasing quantities of wood used in constructions. CO2 emission reductions of almost 50% are technically po ssible. We assess the innovation characteristics of these wood applications to create insights in the complexity of the necessary change process. Then we relate the innovation characteristics of the wood options to the contex t in which implementation of the technologies take place. The options vary strongly in the required technical and network changes and so do the opport unities to implement them. Based on this we expect that a 12% CO2 emission reduction related to material use for residential buildings is possible in the short term by an increased share of wood use. We also study the possibi lities for increased wood recycling practices. A large technical potential exists. To achieve this potential a significant policy effort is needed sin ce significant changes in both technical and network dimensions are necessa ry. To stimulate innovation in the use of wood in residential construction, important focus points of policy making should be the culture in the Dutch construction sector, the way new building projects are commissioned, resea rch areas within the building sector, and stabilization of building network s. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.