CLT (aka wooden skyscrapers) explained - by grist.org
Why the crosswise layers matter
Wood is strong along the grain and weak across it. Turning each layer against the next cancels that weakness out, which gives a panel that carries load in both directions, resists warping, and can be cut to size in a factory before it reaches the site. That is what makes mid-rise and high-rise timber buildings possible, and it is why construction times shorten: the panels arrive finished and go up floor by floor.
What it means for the carbon in a building
Every cubic metre of that panel holds carbon the forest removed from the air, and it displaces concrete or steel that would have emitted during production. The climate benefit is therefore twofold, and it lasts as long as the building stands. Making that benefit visible is our work: Timber Carbon quantifies the carbon locked into a specific load-bearing structure, has the removal verified under internationally recognised standards, and issues Timber Carbon Credits for it.
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