Beyond Brick and Concrete: Argentina Explores Sustainable Construction Materials like Wood and Bamboo | La Nación (AR) | Construcción sustentable en la Argentina

Argentina's construction landscape is undergoing a transformation, with a growing interest in sustainable materials like bamboo and wood as alternatives to traditional brick and concrete. This shift is influenced by global demands for energy efficiency and reduced carbon footprints, as well as local imperatives to rethink production methods, costs, and the relationship between architecture and its environment.

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Today construction is still very artisanal. The Mass Timber system... proposes the exact opposite: an industrialized, more precise and professional process.

Santiago Peña Fiorda, co-founder of Experiencia Dogma, highlights the contrast between Argentina's historically artisanal construction methods and the industrial precision offered by systems like Mass Timber, which includes cross-laminated timber (CLT) and glued laminated timber (Glulam). While developers are increasingly recognizing the competitive value of innovation, the adoption of these sustainable technologies in Argentina lags behind other countries due to a lack of supportive regulations, investment, and a cultural inclination towards traditional practices.

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In Uruguay and Chile, this system is already in use, but here it is not yet regulated. The codes are still designed for another era.

"In Uruguay and Chile, this system is already in use, but here it is not yet regulated. The codes are still designed for another era," Peña Fiorda explained. He believes that while the high-end market is beginning to embrace these innovations, the expansion to family homes and smaller developments will take time. Despite these hurdles, Peña Fiorda remains optimistic, stating that sustainable architecture is no longer a fleeting trend but the future of construction, and Argentina possesses the necessary resources and knowledge to participate in this global transformation.

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Innovation has become a competitive value within the market, and the first ones to incorporate these technologies will be high-end projects.

The global construction sector is increasingly adopting wood-based structures, exemplified by projects like the Sara Cultural Centre in Sweden, one of the tallest wooden skyscrapers. These projects showcase the versatility and aesthetic potential of wood in large-scale constructions, offering a glimpse into a more sustainable future for the built environment.

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Sustainable architecture is no longer a passing trend, but the path to the future of construction.