The SiOO X Story – Protecting the Planet - Book - Page 15
Introduction
Responding to change – protecting wood, protecting the environment
We are living through a time when the planet is suffering
enormous damage from climate change and nature is de
clining globally at rates that are unprecedented in human his
tory. The levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere are hig
her than they have been for over a million years. The United
Nations in their Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on
Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services report, presented in Paris
in May 2020 say that: “We are eroding the very foundations of
our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality
of life worldwide.” Humanity faces enormous challenges. The
potential coup de grâce lies in the reality of climate change
and the rise in global warming.
The early years of the 21st century have seen an extraordinary
transformation in the way we think about wood construction;
whether in the structure, or the cladding of buildings. Two not
able technical developments have been significant contributors
to this, the first being the emergence and commercial production of bonded engineered mass timber systems, either glued,
as in cross laminated timber, laminated veneer lumber and the
long-established glulam; or mechanically joined as in by dowel- or
nail-laminated panels. The second significant commercial development has been modified wood: a product group that embraces
chemical or thermal modification technologies. Leading to enhanced durability and dimensional stability of timber permitting
exterior use on buildings, decking and even ship decks.
It is clear that the future endeavours of humanity must be geared
to biophysical realities. Our economies and the efforts of scientists, technologists, architects and engineers must recognise
these realities: how to reduce environmental stress in general
and how to reduce the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The built
environment has a major role to play here. There is a clear need
to change and think seriously about how buildings are designed
to minimise their environmental impact, about the role of cities,
about how we use and replenish the earth’s material resources.
The first two decades of this century, has seen the development and launch of a non-biocidal surface modification wood
protection system based upon silicon (SiOO:X). The evolution
of SiOO:X has largely paralleled the resurgence of interest in
the use of wood as a material with which to clad buildings and
form decks: a reconnection between the built environment and
nature that has been increasingly evident since the closing years
of the 20th century.
Much of the history of wood architecture has been lost over
time, with only those structures which have in-built weather
protection techniques or have had regular maintenance and/or
some form of surface coating surviving as visible demonstration
of humankind’s capacity to constantly innovate and introduce
new solutions to recurring problems.
Trees and wood construction are at the heart of the debates and
the need to sequester and store atmospheric carbon now. In the
following chapters this book sets out the need for action and
why it is vital to create sustainable circular economies. It discusses the role of biomimicry in seeking to create new bio-inspired
materials, building products, and designs.
And it is change manifested in two ways that has brought timber
architecture back to the fore.
The first of these, as mentioned above, has been the ongoing
development of new timber manufacturing technologies, prod-
One of these creations is the SiOO:X wood protection system whose
story is told here, how it was inspired by nature and the impact it
is having on the use of wood in building design and construction.
Photo: Alan Coultas
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