»We architects have to learn to embrace toxin-free & eco-friendly designs.«

Trä meets

At the moment, enormous quantities of Douglas fir in British Columbia, Canada, are dying due to attacks by a kind of bark beetle. Architect Daniel Fagerberg has spent 17 years turning this natural disaster into an opportunity.

As professor at Lincoln University in Nebraska, USA, he trains architects in ‘FearAbility’. His ambition is to contribute to sustainable social development and, with the help of wood, to change the construction industry and redefine the role of the architect.

What is the aim of the course?
“I make sure my students understand how our architecture affects the environment. At the moment, nobody takes complete responsibility for the construction process, which leads to a hotchpotch of decisions, designs and components. I see this as a major threat to our prosperity.”

So what should we do?
“As architects, we need to take more control of the building process and learn to embrace toxin-free, eco-friendly and economically viable designs. And of course, we should make use of the available resources to create outstanding architecture.”

How can the disaster in British Columbia be turned into something positive?
“By using the timber, before we lose it, we can build really exciting, super eco-friendly homes for the same price as or cheaper than we’re doing at the moment. For me and my students the key is to get people in the US to understand how we can use the timber in the construction industry instead of in the paper and pulp industry.”

Personalities that trä has met

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