This section provides information on the gynasium building used
in the NZ Wood carbon footprint model. Many modern buildings
tend to make extensive use of timber, steel, and concrete
materials in construction, all of which can be energy-intensive
to produce, via processes that have the potential to cause
adverse environmental impacts and give rise to CO2 emissions.
However, recent developments in wood technology and engineered
timber products, seismic and acoustic design, fabrication and
construction techniques have enabled timber to be utilised much
more extensively for instance in the basic structure of medium-
rise, multi-storey buildings, such as a typical ‘down-town’
office block. While there is a tendency for buildings to be
labelled according to the main material used for their sub-
structure and super-structure, the vast majority of buildings
use a large number of different materials, from a variety of
sources, both national and international. From a materials
perspective, a building becomes a very comp