Even before a building accepts its first occupant, it has racked up a steep carbon debt. Worldwide, the materials and construction required to erect buildings contributes 11% of global carbon emissions, according to the World Green Building Council.

Some places have begun experimenting with multistory timber buildings, and while they’ve recently reached new heights, timber buildings won’t be replacing skyscrapers anytime soon. But one Chilean startup thinks that there’s still room for wood to find a place.

“We’re more into hybrid buildings,” Andrés Mitnik, co-founder and CEO of Strong by Form , told TechCrunch. His company has developed a new engineered wood product that can replace concrete and steel in structural floors, allowing architects to design lighter, less carbon intensive

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