When a wooden house is built, it fixes all the carbon that went into the wood. I propose a house with four foot thick (thats a little over a meter) soft-wood walls. (you can put a thin layer of waterproof concrete on the sides of the walls to protect the wood) These houses would be built with wood from white pine farms and could last a very long time. Other benefits:

If there's a flood your house will float. Just tether it.

If you ever really, really need firewood...

It would take a lot to get through the walls. proof against zombies, bullets, and car crashes!

Very high insulation value.

If enough people do it, we can start filling up former rain-forest area with softwood forest. Sure its not a jungle, but its better than desert!
-- Voice, Aug 04 2007

2004 Study mentions carbon sequestration http://www.eurekale...9/osu-sew092104.php
although it's only one argument among many. [jutta, Aug 04 2007]

Tallest wooden building http://i16.tinypic.com/2lwu4pt.jpg
Businessman Nikolay Sutjagin has constructed this 12 floor wooden house. People living nearby are terrified because the building is unstable and rotting. [django, Aug 04 2007]

Comprehensive Investigation of Biomass Fly Ash for Use in Concrete http://www-acerc.by...CERC%20-%20Wang.pdf
*.pdf file; biomass fly ash can work as well as coal fly ash. [django, Aug 04 2007]

Starck house http://www.philippe...ause/woodhouse2.jpg
The box [django, Aug 05 2007]

Wouldn't a house of graphite be even better at fixing carbon? And you could write with it!
-- jutta, Aug 04 2007


//we can start filling up former rain- forest area with softwood forest// This is already happening with soya plantations in Brazil and it's damnable. I think your idea is fairly ok apart from this bit. The loss of tropical rain-forests is one of the main contributors to man- made global warming. It also results in the permanent destruction of natural habitats for numerous other plant life, insects, fungi, birds, fish, indigenous human tribes and wonderful animals like the Orang-utan.
-- xenzag, Aug 04 2007


Very good idea. I had been looking at building wooden skyscrapers. The tallest wooden building is some horrible church like structure in some anonymous Siberian town, built by a fanatic. 12 floors [link].

A good architect could probably build higher and better.

We need high-rises, wooden suburbias would be disastrous (because they have a horrible environmental footprint). Compact wooden high-rise cities could be green.

Alternatively, we can also burn biomass in coal power plants, and use the biomass fly ash to make green concrete. That way we produce green energy and green building materials [link].
-- django, Aug 04 2007


The economic and climactic benefits of forests far outweigh the use of additional wood in structures, especially in light of accelerating worldwide deforestation.
-- nuclear hobo, Aug 04 2007


I am currently seeking sponsorship to sequester carbon in its most compact form. If anyone is interested in supporting this, please visit me at www.megatonofdiamonds.org
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Aug 04 2007


//The economic and climactic benefits of forests far outweigh the use of additional wood in structures, especially in light of accelerating worldwide deforestation.//

That's a bit stating the obvious. The question is: are we, wealthy people from the West, willing to pay for avoided deforesation in the tropics? If not, we should shut up.
-- django, Aug 04 2007


yes, Hobo. Thats why I am proposing that the house only be made from farmed wood.

xenzag, I am not proposing that rainforest be cut down to accomodate these farms. I am proposing that the space already cleared be used to grow these wood farms. Without topsoil, the land is terrible for crops but acceptable for trees. The soil type and rainfall is also acceptable.
-- Voice, Aug 04 2007


//climactic benefits of forests// I must make a note to visit them more often.

//www.megatonofdiamonds.org 404// I am also seeking sponsorship to purchase the domain name. For donations, please visit www....

//burn biomass in coal power plants, and use the biomass fly ash// What if you burn flies?
-- MaxwellBuchanan, Aug 04 2007


//I must make a note to visit them more often.//

Or you could read Jared Diamond's Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed. Forests have a direct influence on weather patterns including temperature and rainfall.
-- nuclear hobo, Aug 05 2007


Get someone to read the good parts to you. Although I still don't think it'll have the desired effect.
-- lurch, Aug 05 2007


[nuclear hobo], I think voice is talking of re- and afforesting for sustainbly harvested wood production. It's a very realistic proposal.

The question is not whether forests are good for the environment. The question is: how can we bring enough wealth to the tropics so that people don't have to deforest further.

We could do so by eating less meat. Or by funding avoided deforestation schemes. Or by reforesting and giving the wood a high value, by making it suitable for luxury homes designed by top-architects who say: you can only use this wood, or else you're fake.

Like Starck did with his house in a box.
-- django, Aug 05 2007



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