Multi-storey timber construction and bioeconomy – barriers and opportunities

Multi-storey timber construction has been developed and promoted in Finland since the 1990s. Despite these efforts, the share of timber frames in multi-storey construction has remained very low. Construction business is also very resource intensive and accounts for a large share of greenhouse gas emissions. Increasing the use of renewable materials, mainly wood, in buildings, could make construction more sustainable and a part of bioeconomy. This study aimed at identifying barriers to the adoption of multi-storey timber construction, ways in which wood could compete with established solutions and possibilities for partly integrating construction into bioeconomy. Based on 18 interviews of representatives from the entire value chain, this study presents insights into introducing new solutions into a conservative field. Our results indicate that multi-storey timber construction could offer competitive solutions for more sustainable construction, even though barriers to its adoption still exist.