Building a better world with wood? ⏲️ 6 Minute English

Hello. This is 6 Minute

English from BBC

Learning English. I'm Neil. And I'm Beth.

Being in nature has benefits for our physical and mental health, so

wouldn't it be good if, instead of giving you a bottle of pills,

your doctor recommended spending time in nature.

That's an interesting idea

Neil. Being outdoors always makes me feel better. And in Japan,

there's even a word for it – shinrin-yoku – translated into English

as forest bathing. Forest

bathing is a type of relaxation that involves being calm

and quiet amongst the trees,

and using all your senses to observe nature around you, whilst breathing

deeply. It sounds wonderful Beth. In this programme,

we'll be hearing how one of the world's oldest building materials,

wood, is being used in new ways to build a greener future.

And as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

Great. But first

I have a question for you, Neil.

Britain used to be covered in trees. In Roman times,

it's estimated

that as much as 40% of the land was forest. Trees provided

wood, the building material needed for many things,

including buildings, furniture and ships.

So, how many trees

do you think were needed to build the HMS Victory,

Nelson's famous ship at the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805?

Was it: a. 4,000 trees, b. 5,000 trees or c. 6,000 trees?

Well, I have no idea, but I'll guess it was 5,000 trees.

OK, Neil. I'll reveal the correct answer at the end of the programme.

Throughout history, buildings in Britain have been made of timber – trees

that are grown so their wood can be used as a building material.

But in modern times,

this has mostly been done by man-made materials – brick, concrete and steel.

One of those arguing for a return to wood is architect

Michael Ramage, talking here to BBC Radio 4 programme, Rare Earth.

  There is some compelling evidence

to show that children in schools made of wood learn better,

they have greater concentration, lower stress,

lower heartbeats, and there is compelling evidence to show

that patients in hospitals recover better

in both rooms made of wood or other natural materials and

also in rooms that have views of nature out the window.

Michael believes there is compelling evidence

for the health benefits of wood.

If something is compelling,

it is so convincing that you believe it. As evidence,

he gives examples that wooden schools help children learn.

But there's another compelling reason to build with wood.

The carbon which wood captures helps combat climate change.

It's why many governments around the world want to replace

the carbon-intensive production of concrete and steel

with bio-based materials, like wood.

Here's architect Michael Ramage again,

describing the possibilities of wooden buildings to BBC

Radio 4's Rare Earth.  

We look at the possibilities of building with wood and other materials

we can grow. Bamboo, hemp, flax and

how we can use them intelligently as replacements for steel and concrete

in the world that we create around us and we've, we've looked at skyscrapers.

We've looked at housing. We've looked at schools,

and there are a whole range of buildings that we can build

if we use wood well.

Michael builds with natural materials

which can be sustainably grown,

including bamboo and hemp – a family of plants

which are used to make many products, such as rope and cloth.

He thinks these natural bio-based materials will work

if they are used intelligently – in a clever, intelligent way.

A good example of this is plywood,

the first new material in construction

since the invention of reinforced concrete 100 years ago.

Tests prove that plywood, made from layers of pine

which are laid crossways

and then glued together, is as strong as steel.

It has already been used to build skyscrapers,

the very tall, modern buildings

you often see in cities. An 85 metre high skyscraper

in Norway and an even taller one at 87 metres,

the world's tallest, in Milwaukee, USA.

Strong, relaxing and eco-friendly –

it seems that building with wood is good for the future as well as the past,

Which reminds me of my question, Neil.

Yes. You asked me how many trees were used

as timber for Nelson's famous warship HMS Victory,

and I guessed it was 5,000. Which was close...

but the wrong answer,

I'm afraid! It was even more – around 6,000 trees,

most of which were oak, with some timbers

over half a metre thick.

OK, let's recap the vocabulary

we've learnt in this programme,

starting with forest bathing – being in nature and immersing your senses

in the experience for its physical and mental health benefits.

Timber is trees grown so the wood can be used for building.

If an argument or evidence is compelling, it's strong,

convincing and believable.

The adverb intelligently means done in a way

showing intelligence and skill.

Hemp is a family of plants,

some of which are used to make rope and strong cloth.

And finally, a skyscraper is a very tall, modern building, usually in a city.

Once again, our six minutes are up.

But remember to join us again next time

for more trending topics and useful vocabulary here at 6 Minute

English. Goodbye for now. Bye!