It was in the magnificent Esch Theatre that the “10×6 Green Architecture” event organised by Maison Moderne was held at the beginning of May, to mark the publication of the summer edition of Archiduc magazine.
Among the 10 speakers invited to speak on this vast and highly popular topic, Philippe Genot, the Wood Cluster Manager, had the opportunity, to present in front of more than 700 people the major assets of the wood industry.
“Be aware that we have a large and exceptional ‘factory’ in Luxembourg,” he explained, describing in form of an enigma what a forest is. “A plant that runs 100% on solar energy, fixes CO2 and emits oxygen, filters air and water and produces an exceptional material called wood.”
An innovative sector
Stressing the need to manage the forest in a sustainable way, respecting its ecological but also social functions, so that wood can be described as “sustainable material”, Philippe Genot also underlined the increasingly important role played by wood in construction and, in particular, in raising the more sustainable and circular awareness of our regions. “Wood products are nowadays also innovative and highly technological products, with no real limits. Let’s take the example of the Mjostarnet tower in Norway: an 18-storey building 80m high built mainly of wood!”
Without reaching similar heights, timber construction is also developing in Luxembourg, and the sector does not lack innovative companies, which Luxinnovation supports in their developments. “In any case, we are touching wood, ‘Mir paken Holz un’, so that wood can find the place it deserves in the development of green architecture,” he concluded at the end of his 6 minute speech.
1,300 companies
Officially launched in December 2016, the Luxembourg Wood Cluster, managed by Luxinnovation, quickly found its audience in a country where more than a third of the territory is covered by woodlands (36% to be precise) and where nearly 1,300 companies have an activity entirely or partially related to wood, employing about 19,000 people. Today, the cluster has some 150 members.
“We see a clear development of the wood market in construction and this presentation I was able to make has met with growing interest from many construction stakeholders with regards to this exceptional material,” comments Philippe Genot. “Forest-based companies will also have to prepare for the evolution of this market and be open to innovation, which is very important in the sector today. This is where we are able to support them, through the Wood Cluster but also through other Luxinnovation services.”
See all the pictures of the “10×6 Green Architecture” HERE.
(Photo: Jan Hanrion / Maison Moderne)