Woodoo: the augmented and translucent wood for the low-carbon cities of the future
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50% of all wood cut in France goes unused. This gave Timothée Boitouzet, an architect and the founder of Woodoo, an idea: strengthen it at the molecular level, transforming the wood into a visionary construction material that is durable, translucent, rot-resistant, three times stronger than the original wood and more resistant to fire. In short, an augmented wood that will help to build tomorrow’s denser, carbon-neutral post-hydrocarbon cities.
Testimony
"The EDF Pulse Awards are the best-renowned prize in the construction sector."
Timothée Boitouzet - Founder of Woodoo
“The 19th century was the age of iron, the 20th was the age of concrete, and the 21st will be the age of wood,” predicts Timothée Boitouzet. It seems that someone was listening: in 2017, Woodoo won in the ‘Smart City’ category of the EDF Pulse Awards. While he waits to see his augmented wood used in buildings, set to be around ten years from now, he is focusing on the luxury, design, watchmaking and automobile markets. Ultimately, Woodoo wood will allow the construction of towers stretching over 35 storeys high – three times higher than current wood-built buildings.
2
years
of research at Harvard
2x
less energy-hungry than concrete, 17 times less than glass and 130 times less than steel
€7M
Fundraising target for 2018
4 questions to Woodoo
Where did you get the idea for this startup?
As a trained architect, I began my studies in Japan, where I was fascinated by wood and the environment. I realised that it was essential for the future of our society to develop new low-carbon materials. I therefore continued my studies in the molecular biology department of the University of Harvard to apply my skills as an architect to the material itself, just as I would have done with a building. Following two years of intensive research, this next-generation material was born. In time, it will be used to build post-hydrocarbon cities and high-rise buildings, and contribute to the emergence of a society based on bio-economic principles.
Any recent good news?
Our team is growing, we are adding new skills and we will soon be at the fund-raising stage.
In what way does your project revolutionise your category?
Having a secret agent explain how to encrypt my computer before a trip abroad.
In what way does your project revolutionise your category?
By 2050, 75% of the world’s population will live in cities. To accommodate this urban population, on a global level we will need to build an area seven times the size of Paris every year. The construction sector releases 2.5 billion tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere per year, more than all of the cars on Earth put together. We urgently need to develop the materials of the future in order to construct the post-hydrocarbon cities of the future, which will be more densely constructed and carbon-neutral. The material developed by Woodoo is a type of wood that is reinforced at molecular level, thereby giving it previously unseen properties. The conversion process takes weak wood, which is widely available and unused, and turns it into a high-performance material. This strengthened wood will reduce the carbon footprint of the construction industry and allow wood to be used for the construction of high-rise buildings more than 35 storeys high: three times the height of current wooden constructions. Other Prize winners for 2017 edition
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