Woodscraper research project at Environment Week in Bellevue Park

Woodscraper Circular high-rise buildings made of wood and strawIn Wolfsburg, a vision of the construction industry's future will soon become reality: The Woodscrapers stand for climate-friendly construction and an appreciative use of resources. Construction of the first circular high-rise buildings made of wood and straw will begin in 2024.Our approach goes beyond simply using sustainable materials. We aim to build circular buildings that can be dismantled into their individual elements at the end of their lifespan so that they can be reused in new buildings. This means no waste is produced. Resources are kept in circulation.At the heart of the Woodscraper strategy is the climate-friendly transformation of the construction sector. Thanks to the use of renewable raw materials, CO2 is bound in our buildings in the long term, while renewable energies ensure that the wood scrapers are operated in an almost CO2-neutral manner. Our goal: to bind more CO2 than we emit over the entire life cycle of the building. This is our contribution to climate protection.But climate protection must be socially fair. An integral part of our strategy is therefore to ensure that the apartments in the Woodscrapers are affordable and that social diversity is created in the neighborhoods.We are accompanying the construction of the first circular high-rise buildings with a research project. Using practical tests, we check constructive connections to see if they can be dismantled. This ensures that the raw materials used can continue to be used in the event of conversion or dismantling.In addition, we are developing a method by which we can generate the ecological balance and life cycle costs from the digital buildings during planning. The Woodscraper's construction and energy concept are being optimized step by step with regard to their ecological impact. We also look at the construction costs holistically, which provides long-term added value for tenants, operators and investors. In doing so, we illustrate the economic potential of the circular economy.