Essential to our forests
In 200 years the French forest has doubled in area and since 1945 it has grown by another 35% covering over 15.5 million hectares - that is 27% of our land mass. Every year another 30 000 hectares or so are added. Forests require human intervention to maintain their balance, survival and development. If forest management is to be sustainable, then trees must be felled so that the wood can be harvested, and in so doing forest growth is encouraged by regular replanting.
Building with wood creates an outlet for our forests, which helps manage them, conserve them and ensure their sustainability.

Essential to local development
The Rhône-Alpes wood sector has 10 200 businesses and over 41 300 jobs. Our region has the necessary company resources and skilled workforce to build "our" buildings with "our" wood.

Essential to combat the greenhouse effect
Through the effect of light, CO2 combines with water to produce cellulose, and contributes to tree growth. A growing forest is therefore a gigantic carbon sink.
Building with wood is a way of storing carbon in structures and buildings over the long term. In the space of one year, a single average-sized tree produces enough oxygen for the breathing requirements of 4 people and fixes the carbon dioxide produced by one car driving 18 000 km. But when a tree stops growing, the wood no longer stores the CO2. On the contrary, as it dies and rots, the stored CO2 is returned to the atmosphere. Therefore to store CO2 we must put the wood to work.

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Wood, an environmentally-friendly material
Wood is an available renewable raw material, whose production uses very little energy.
The waste generated by this material is destroyed without emitting toxic substances, or alternatively can be reused in the panel, chipboard or fibre industry, and also as an energy source (firewood).
Construction using wood does not require water, an essential raw material that must not be squandered.

 Quantité d’énergie nécessaire pour produire 1 tonne de matériau

Wood the high-performance material
Wood is a very strong material. For example, a 3-metre beam is capable of supporting 20 tonnes weighs 60 kg in conifer wood, 80 kg in steel and 300 kg in concrete. A wooden structure is a third lighter than a steel structure and 18 times lighter than a reinforced concrete structure! This quality of lightness frees it from the constraints of building in areas where access is a challenge or on land with low weight-bearing capacity. It offers considerable savings on the extra costs linked to these constraints.
Wood is an innovative material, which is gaining ground in leading edge technologies and can meet all the requirements and constraints emerging from progress in our society.

REFUGE TÊTE NOIR (74) Architecte : Gaston Muller

COMPLEXE SPORTIF UGINE (73) Architecte : Dujol et Mollier (73)

An insulating material for year-round living!
Wood is a naturally insulator it has the best insulation performance levels of all solid materials and retains heat as well as cold.

Un mur d'une épaisseur de 10 cm de bois est autant isolant que :

• 2,5cm de laine de roche
• 1.2 m de béton
• 35 m d'acier
• 150 m d'aluminium

An acoustic material
Wood is often used in contexts where acoustics are important: recording studios, concert halls, restaurants, gymnasiums, factories, acoustic screens, etc., because it is a material with strong sound absorption properties. Wood’s low density enables architects to specify it to attenuate or accentuate sound.

CONCERT HALL (38)

Architecte : R2K (38)

A healthy material
Wood readily absorbs moisture from the air and provides occupants with a healthy environment. It does not diffuse noxious substances and can be used in the home without risk because, unlike other materials, it does not generate static electricity, radon (slightly radioactive gas) or mites.

STRUCTURE PETITE ENFANCE

Architecte : R2K (38)

A material for fast, dry construction
Wood is a light material that can be prefabricated in the workshop. This "rational" method of construction enables you to overcome weather conditions and other constraints.

CHANTIER MAISON

Architecte : Jacquet (73)

A warm material which stimulates our senses
Wood gives us its odours, colours and materials… The different species affect each of our senses… Living or working in a wooden building stimulates our senses every minute of every day…

MAISON (38) Architecte : Moulin (38)	CENTRE AÉRÉ Architecte : Plottier (69)
CENTRE LOISIR (26) Architecte : Robles (84) et Nicolas (84)	MAIRIE DE FEYZIN (69)