Attitudes towards using wood in the Danish building sector

The Danish political strategy aims to reduce 70 % CO2 emissions by 2030. One way to achieve this goal is by choosing alternative building materials, particularly by using more wood in buildings. Research shows that wood is still not used broadly in the Danish building sector, compared to neighbouring countries, due to design traditions, legislation barriers, and lack of experiences and solutions. Thus, this study investigates the Danish construction sector’s current status and attitudes towards using wood in buildings, identifying the perceived barriers and benefits. A nationwide survey was collected from 155 respondents, including engineers, architects, municipalities, and professional building owners. The results indicate that actors have a positive mindset towards using wood and recognize its benefits, revealing that 15 % of actors use wood frequently in their projects, and 52 % are interested in this transition. However, numerous technical aspects must be solved, e.g., risk of fire and moisture. Building owners are the most prominent influencers to promote using wood and are responsible for progressing broader sustainability goals. Furthermore, a knowledge gap among designers was detected.