Mr Anderton said he was preparing policy papers on wood procurement for the government, leading towards a recommendation that wood-based alternatives be considered for new government buildings, including offices, schools and health centres.
His comments follow the release of a cost and environmental impact study on the use of timber in government buildings conducted by the Building Research Association of New Zealand.
The study showed the perception of wood by specifiers and builders was holding back the material’s use in commercial buildings.
Researchers found wood was 5-7% cheaper in terms of construction costs and 5-10% cheaper over the lifetime of a building.
Mr Anderton said the high embodied energy of steel and concrete made timber more preferable from an environmental angle.
The study called for New Zealand to have a green guide to building specification, similar to the UK Building Research Establishment‘s green guide which shows the economic and environmental costs of different materials.
