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#3 Dutch capital declares biobased construction minimums

The city of Amsterdam has declared mandates for new housing to use biobased materials, beginning in 2025. Called Green Deal Timber Construction, all 32 municipalities within the greater Amsterdam region have signed the legislation.

The goal is to reduce the significant carbon dioxide emissions associated with steel and concrete in line with the city’s target of reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. Conventional biobased building materials like timber are included, as are emerging materials such as hemp and cork.

The law says a detached house has to be 80% biobased, and buildings up to ten stories can be just 65% biobased material. Housing over ten stories must be at least half biobased content.

“Although the use of abiotic materials in construction has literally taken us to great heights, these materials have a major impact on the environment,” Pablo van der Lugt, a research fellow at AMS Institute, tells dezeen. “The latest generation of mass timber products can replace these materials one-to-one, without harming the environment. Moreover, they actually act as huge carbon sinks.”

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