People spend, on average, 90% of their lives indoors, according to researchers from the international research project, Wood2New, a project initiated in 2014 to study the impact of wood products used in homes. Because people spend so much time indoors, air quality and indoor temperature not only affect health, but can also affect quality of life. But exactly in what ways and how much had previously not been mapped out. In order to fill this gap in existing research Wood2New partnered with universities and wood-industry companies. The final report was presented at a seminar in the beginning of March at Linköping University in Sweden.
According to the study, wood has superior strength in proportion to its weight, is easy to work with, and widely accessible. It also promotes good conditions at the building site, is flexible, and provides designers with a great scope of freedom. Environmental impacts include binding and storing carbon dioxide and the ability to be recycled. Wood also evens out indoor humidity, for example when a home-owner uses the shower or cooks food, it contributes to increased indoor humidity. Wood absorbs this, and later—when it becomes drier—emits humidity.