Researchers have investigated responses to wood used in built environments in cities; it is possible that their findings are relevant in other contexts. A press release from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology reports that a recent study based there “examines how timber construction can make a comeback in cities. Its proposition is that more color is the key to greater acceptance. . . . the requirements of present-day urban planning are forming entirely new connections with the structural principles of timber construction. . . . The authors . . . advocate plywood surfaces and laminated ceilings, structural rather than chemical wood protection, ecologically sound planting schemes – and more color. ‘Color is timber construction’s admission ticket to urban architecture,’ says Falk Schneemann . . . one of the three authors of the study. . . . ‘It inspires acceptance and facilitates the conceptual integration of wooden structures into established urban neighborhoods.’ In addition, modern wood stains that pose no health hazards protect the wood against harmful environmental influences such as exhaust fumes, ultraviolet radiation, and fungi.”
“Urban Timber Construction: Colored Façades Increase Acceptance.” 2022. Press release, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, https://www.kit.edu/kit/english/pi_2022_062_urban-timber-construction-c…