A certain rare sight in Paris continues to amaze me whenever I come upon it—half-timber houses with the wood exposed, dating back centuries. The contrast with the limestone, mansard-roofed buildings of the Haussmann era that dominate the capital is striking. With the grand exception of Notre-Dame, very little of Medieval Paris remains. And that cathedral’s timber roof spectacularly went up in flames in April 2019.
This Parisian scenario is perhaps a simple answer to the somewhat naive question: Why did we stop building in wood? With the growth of cities, advances in steel and concrete technologies made it possible to erect higher, faster, cheaper, and safer, buildings that are more hygienic, and less likely to catch on fire. But fast-forward to the 21st century, and the carbon-storing capacity of wood has brought about a renaissance in the use of this natural material, not only in the construction of houses, but in office and apartment towers, museums, academic buildings, stadia, and even airports. It’s worth noting that Paris, particularly with its preparations for the 2024 Olympics, is one of the cities leading the charge.
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