The natural beauty of wooden skyscrapers | Pablo van der Lugt | TEDxVUAmsterdam
What if our homes could actually fight climate change? Building scientist Pablo van der Lugt reveals how modern timber construction, a material that literally grows back, is transforming buildings into massive carbon sinks, not sources of pollution.Debunking common myths, he shows how skyscrapers can be built from wood, storing tons of CO2 and offering surprising health benefits. Learn how this biobased building revolution, already unfolding in cities like Amsterdam, could contribute 25% of our global climate budget by 2050.Dr. van der Lugt, an architectural engineer and author of the bestseller Tomorrow's Timber, is a leading expert and passionate advocate for high-performance bio-based materials. Discover the stunning beauty and power of "growing your own home" and how to join this vital movement. Architectural engineer dr. ir. Pablo van der Lugt obtained his PhD at Technical University Delft in 2008 for his research about the environmental impact (LCA) of engineered biobased materials. Since then he has been active in the mass timber industry as senior consultant on the themes sustainability, circularity and biobased building, ever maintaining a connection with the academia through Delft University of Technology as guest lecturer / researcher. Besides his consultancy and research roles, he also serves on the Board of Directors of the highly influential Built by Nature investment fund.He is a passionate advocate of high performance bio-based materials. In the vision of van der Lugt in the essential transition towards a more circular economy there are tremendous opportunities for smart bio-based materials made from fast-growing resources such as (modified) softwood and (engineered) giant bamboo, to substitute carbon intensive, high performance materials from the techno-cycle such as metals, minerals and plastics (PVC).Van der Lugt is the author of several popular books on biobased building, including the best-seller Tomorrow’s Timber (2020), also translated to Dutch and Spanish, and the fully revised version of Booming Bamboo (2024). He regularly publishes his research findings about timber construction and biobased materials in popular magazines and scientific journals and conference proceedings.He is a highly demanded speaker following several formats, ranging from TED and Pecha Kucha talks, to keynote presentations at high-level international conferences, including the International Climate Conferences in Paris (COP 21), Katowice (COP 24) and Glasgow (COP 26) and PEFC Tomorrow’s Timber Talks (since Autumn 2020). His speakers profile for the professional speakers agency Speakers Academy can be found online. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx
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