Machiels Building Solutions emits 73% less CO2 with timber-frame construction

Increasing CO₂ requirements

Machiels Building Solutions specialises in industrial timber-frame construction, delivering fast, high-quality and sustainable prefabricated solutions for both residential and public buildings. However, customers such as Landal, Roompot and Center Parcs are setting increasingly stringent requirements regarding transparency on the carbon footprint of construction projects.

To respond to these expectations, Machiels Building Solutions wanted to clearly demonstrate how its timber-frame construction performs compared to traditional building methods. This required specialist expertise in the form of a robust Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to quantify the environmental impact of its prefabricated timber-frame products.

A detailed LCA

Encon developed a structured approach to assess the product-level carbon footprint of Machiels Building Solutions’ prefabricated timber-frame homes. We conducted a detailed comparison between a traditional 90 m² house and an equivalent prefabricated timber-frame house.

The study covered the pre-use and end-of-life phases of the building lifecycle, excluding the operational use phase. The project consisted of:

• Project preparation and kick-off meeting
• Calculation of the carbon footprint
• Comparison with traditionally built houses
• Reporting and presentation of the results

This analysis provided Machiels Building Solutions with clear insights into the main sources of CO₂ emissions during the production, construction and end-of-life phases of the building.

73% lower CO₂ emissions per m²

The results revealed that approximately 60% of the CO₂ impact of the timber-frame house originated from the glass wool insulation initially selected for its cost-effectiveness. Based on the insights generated by the study, Machiels Building Solutions decided to switch to bio-based insulation materials such as cellulose and wood fibre.

The impact was significant: the timber-frame house now generates 73% lower CO₂ emissions per square metre than a comparable traditionally built house.

For Machiels Building Solutions, this represents not only a substantial environmental benefit but also a strategic advantage when working with clients and project developers who increasingly prioritise sustainability. Thanks to this analysis, the company can now demonstrate with concrete data that its prefabricated timber-frame construction solutions are both highly efficient and environmentally responsible.