Wood and CO2
		As it grows in the forest, a tree absorbs atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2) through photosynthesis.  When used in construction, wood retains the carbon dioxide it has stored to the extent of one ton of CO2 per m3, which is 100 tons of CO2 stored for a 24x15m Ecoparc building. As the table below shows, the fossil fuel used to make raw materials significantly contributes to releasing CO2:  Material Kg carbon equivalent per ton manufactured  (European figures)  Steel  300 to 850 depending on the % of scrap  Aluminium from ore  600 to 3,000 depending  on the % of aluminium waste  Flat glass   400  Container glass   120  Plastics (polyethylene, polystyrene, PCV, PET...)  500 to 1,600  Paper-cardboard  300 to 500  Cement  250 We think that the excessive CO2 released by human activity is the cause of the detrimental greenhouse gas effect which is causing global warming, which in turn harms the ecological balance of our planet. The use of certified* wood in building construction, as a replacement for the traditional materials of steel and concrete is a simple, positive and quantifiable action which helps reduce global warming.  *The PEFC and FSC certifications identify forests that are being sustainably managed.

		Wood and Ecoparc
		Most of the structural elements in the Ecoparc building, such as joists, upper chords, roof support panels, secondary framing structures and mezzanine elements, are made of spruce wood from certified forests. The overall building frame remains light, due to the optimised spacing in the grid. Wood elements are limited in size and weight to facilitate handling. They are factory pre-fab to avoid waste on the construction site. The embedded hardware used to fasten the elements improves the aesthetics. The wood-concrete connected flooring system reaches the best compromise between mechanical strength (with wood helping with the stresses), the space taken up by the floor, and acoustic performance. The wood secondary frame system leaves a wide range of architectural choices for façade panel elements.