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Media Release – NZ Wood
26 November 2009
The contribution of the wood processing industry to the Nelson-Tasman region’s sustainability was recognized recently at the Tasman Nelson Environment Awards, with an engineered wood partnership scooping two category awards.
Waimea Sawmillers and sister company Gibbons Construction worked with Nelson Pine Industries to replace 22 tonnes of steel with 50 cubic meters of locally produced engineered wood in the new NZ Couriers building in Nelson.
Using wood instead of steel saved over 100 tonnes of CO2 emissions for just that building, demonstrating wood’s potential to radically reduce the building and construction sector’s carbon footprint, says Lauren Walker of Waimea Sawmillers.
“Using Waimea’s untreated Douglas fir Glulam purlins and Nelson Pine’s Radiata laminated veneer lumber (LVL) portals allowed Gibbons Construction to satisfy the sustainability objectives of the tenant,” she says.
“We also reduced the cost of the building and supported local businesses – a win-win-win solution.”
Waimea Sawmillers won the awards’ commercial category for its engineered wood solutions that reduce the carbon footprint of commercial buildings. Nelson Pine Industries won the renewable energy category, demonstrating the potential for renewable wood energy to replace fossil fuels in industrial plants.
Philip Wilson of Nelson Pine Industries says the company has been working extremely hard since 2004 to shrink its environmental footprint by reducing energy use and emissions and recycling waste wood.
“Waste wood fuels about 70 percent of our operation. The equivalent amount of power would supply all households in the Nelson-Tasman region,” he says.
“Using the waste wood instead of coal has reduced emissions by 40 percent in the past five years.”
“It is very satisfying to have these efforts publicly acknowledged with this award. We’ve come a long way from the old wood chipping days to sustainable production of quality products such as the LVL used in the Waimea Sawmillers award winning project.”
Lauren Walker says Waimea’s award also recognised its efforts to retain a place for untreated Douglas fir in South Island housing construction.
“The timber has been used in traditional houses since the 1930s without any preservative treatments and South Island residents are keen to keep using it.
“We have worked hard to remove some of the obstacles that have made it difficult for architects to specify untreated Douglas fir. By bringing council staff, architects and builders together, Waimea has facilitated a wider appreciation of the structural properties of Douglas fir and where it can be used and also helped streamline the approval process.”
For more information contact:
Lauren Walker
Waimea Sawmillers
Phone 021 786 663
Philip Wilson
Nelson Pine Industries
Phone 03 543 8871, 021 998 832
Tags: Events Competitions & Awards, Timber processing groups
