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In an increasingly interconnected world, the design-build community must contend with challenges far beyond traditional aesthetics and costs. Building codes such as the International Code Council’s International Green Construction Code (known as the IGCC) and green building rating systems such as the United States Green Building Council’s LEED system and the National Association of Home Builders’ Green Building Standards (GBS) are all forcing architects, specifiers, interior designers, builders, and the associated trades to make better-informed building and material selections.

Increasing production and consumption of wood products will therefore be part of a sustainable future—including the ancillary benefits of using wood from sustainably managed forests and plantations instead of fossil fuel-intensive building products. And since wood is one of the most commonly used building materials in the world, sustainable building codes and green standards will drive the use of these natural resources more wisely, help protect the environment, and support the communities bringing sustainable products to market.

In this course, we will examine how one sustainable, plantation-grown hardwood, Eucalyptus grandis from Uruguay, can offer a material choice that fulfills the requirements of many green building standards while contributing to the well-being of people and the environment at local, regional, and international levels.

Photo courtesy of URUFOR