Italy embraces PEFC-certified timber for post-earthquake reconstruction

24 August 2017 Sustainable construction

Throughout the region, locally grown, PEFC-certified wood has helped to get children back into school and bring communities together.

It provides assurances to the people in the region that they will be better prepared in case a similar event happens in the future, using wood as a raw material that can be sourced in harmony with nature.

“Using wood has many excellent advantages,” said Gianluca Endrizzi from Rubner Group, the PEFC-certified company responsible for the construction of two stunning new nurseries in Guastalla (Emilia Romagna) and Norcia (Umbria).

“Wood is extremely structurally safe and is a natural raw and zero-impact material.”

“Using PEFC-certified timber ensures the sustainability of the supply chain, and we know that trees will be planted to replace those that were cut down,” Mr. Endrizzi continued.

Rapid and precise construction

In Amatrice, in the heavily damaged Abruzzo region, timber from PEFC-certified forests of the Italian Alps is at the heart of a new recreational center.

Designed by architect Stefano Boeri, the building hosts a citizen canteen, the first element of the new food village.

“This building was made with PEFC-certified wood from the forests of Friuli Venezia-Giulia,” said Marino De Santa from Legnolandia, the company responsible for the construction.

“Using wood meant the construction was rapid and precise. What was impossible just a few years ago is now achievable thanks to new technologies within the wood industry.”