"LCA and Timber Optimization" is the title of a recent study developed at the School of Environmental Science and Forestry in conjunction with the University of Washington Department of Architecture. They compared and evaluated the environmental impact of a hybrid mid-rise commercial building featuring cross-laminated timber with that of a similar building built only with concrete, considering the embodied emissions and energy associated with the building materials of each. The outcome is very encouraging.

What do the results say?

The CLT hybrid building showed an average 26.5% reduction in global warming potential compared to the concrete building, but without considering biogenic carbon emissions. A potential 25% reduction in ozone depletion was also noted. 

Regarding energy, the study indicates that the use of non-renewable energy in hybrid construction is 8% lower compared to concrete, equivalent to the storage of 1,556 tons of CO2 equivalent (with an additional 2,567 tons due to the wood components.) This shows that hybrid construction is clearly more environmentally friendly, as "the lightness of the wooden structural elements reduces the stresses induced and caused by seismic forces, which makes, in the same way, its systems beneficial when facing such events. Not to mention that CLT offers excellent fire protection by adding additional layers to the panel, resulting in a fire resistance rating equivalent to one or two hours," according to madera21.cl.