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Spotted: Wood has been used in construction since time immemorial. However, more recently wood fell out of favour as a building material, both because it was seen as less safe and less sustainable. But the development of technical wood has demonstrated that it can not only be safer than other materials, but more sustainable as well. In Spain, startup Woodea is working to demystify the use of wood as a building material.

Woodea is combining wood, an ancient construction material, with modern production systems to deliver sustainable construction at a faster speed and comparable cost to traditional methods and materials. Its projects use technical wood, which is wood that has undergone high pressure and high temperature treatment to render it more durable. It also has better technical performance than materials such as concrete and steel.

Woodea has completed an initial funding round worth €1.4 million, with support from investors in a number of areas, including construction, engineering, and financial services. The capital will be used to undertake Woodea’s first projects, including construction of 250 wooden homes.

Architects and designers are increasingly rediscovering the advantages of building with wood. Springwise has also spotted a 100-metre tall, all-timber building being planned for Zurich, and a process that allows manufacturers to 3D print a wood composite.

Written By: Lisa Magloff