The building construction sector has a problem with its materials, which represent 9% of total CO₂ emissions, at the same time that wood accumulates in Catalan forests due to lack of a commercial outlet with sufficient added value, increasing the risk of large forest fires. The fit between these two realities is not new. It is what is known as cross-laminated wood (CLT). Yes, the direction that its manufacturing and demand is taking is new, both in Catalonia and in other areas of northern Spain.
Mass Madera – a network that brings together experts, companies, institutions and pioneering organizations in the use of solid wood in construction in Spain – predicts that the manufacturing capacity of CLT will multiply by almost five in Catalonia (up to 27,800 m³) and that it doubles in Spain (147,600 m³). "Until now there was only one company that manufactured CLT in Catalonia, which is Fustes Sebastia, but Grup Boix is building a plant in Berguedà and JVForest one in Andorra (Teruel), touching Catalonia", says Vicente Guallart, promoter of Mass Madera and founder of the Institute of Advanced Architecture of Catalonia (IAAC).
These new factories respond to the increase in demand for wood as a construction material. “It makes no sense that the province of Barcelona, being one of the areas where most construction is done in Spain and which is home to some of the most unique buildings in the country, has to import CLT from other communities or from Austria,” laments Guallart. Together with Daniel Ibáñez, director of the IAAC and also promoter of Mass Madera, Guallart is working on the construction of the tallest wooden building in Spain, 36 meters high, located in the Sant Martí neighborhood of Barcelona, through his architecture office. Urbanitree.
Demand is growing, but it is still incipient, compared to other European countries with a greater tradition in wood construction. It is estimated that construction with CLT represents only between 0.55% and 1.5% of the total construction in Spain and, according to Mass Madera, in 2026 it could represent 3%. These are figures with a wide margin for growth according to the forestry potential of Catalonia, where forests occupy 41.76% of the total surface.
“The wood from Catalan forests is not of quality for certain construction uses, but it is for CLT, which is a product with greater added value than pallets or biomass for burning, which are the main uses of the wood that is extracts today,” says Daniel Ibáñez. The director of the IAAC assures that the greater added value of CLT results in better margins for the entire production chain, promoting the growth of the sector, forest management of forests for fire prevention and the economy of rural areas.
Beyond the forestry world, the other great beneficiary of CLT is construction. In addition to being a neutral material in greenhouse gas emissions, this industrialized wood “is highly efficient, reduces errors on site and represents savings in construction times of between 20% and 30%,” says Ibáñez. Additionally, it should be noted that wood is a great thermal insulator.
For Ibáñez and Guallart it is a matter of time before the European Union approves a regulation on the quality of construction materials and when that moment arrives, they have no doubt that the CLT will be one of the best allies in the sector.
