Barriers to the Use of Cross-Laminated Timber for Mid-Rise Residential Buildings in the UAE

Sabika Nasrim Pilathottathil and Abdul Rauf ()
Additional contact information
Sabika Nasrim Pilathottathil: Architectural Engineering Department, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates
Abdul Rauf: Architectural Engineering Department, United Arab Emirates University, Al Ain 15551, United Arab Emirates

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 16, 1-26

Abstract: Buildings account for approximately 40% of global energy consumption annually, with substantial energy use occurring during both the construction and operation phases. The energy required for the production of construction materials contributes significantly to the overall energy intensity of the building sector. This underscores the critical need for materials with low embodied energy to mitigate the environmental impact associated with building construction and operation. Cross-laminated timber, massive timber product with excellent load-bearing capabilities, is becoming popular in mid-rise buildings worldwide. CLT’s environmental, economic, and social benefits surpass traditional materials, and its use is widespread in Europe, America, Canada, and Australia. However, no mid-rise CLT buildings have been constructed in the UAE yet. This study aims to investigate and identify the barriers to adopting CLT as a building material and construction system for mid-rise buildings in the UAE. A qualitative approach is used to study stakeholders’ behavior towards CLT construction. A comprehensive questionnaire survey and conversational interviews are conducted, with the responses analyzed to identify patterns and themes. The results identify the existing barriers within the construction industry impeding the adoption of cross-laminated timber (CLT). Additionally, the study discusses strategies necessary to facilitate the widespread adoption of CLT. These findings will inform future research aimed at addressing the obstacles to constructing mid-rise buildings using CLT in the UAE.

Keywords: cross laminated timber; embodied energy; carbon sequestration; engineered timber products (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/16/6837/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/16/6837/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:16:y:2024:i:16:p:6837-:d:1453187

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().