W o o d e n B u i l d i n g s a n d t h e Q u e s t f o r S u s t a i n a b i l i t y
221
Serendipity is a little-used neologism in the Italian language borrowed from English that,
from a philosophical point of view, means the art of discovering things by chance whilst
looking for something else.
However, the term doesn’t only indicate luck: to be able to make the discovery, one has
to be open to research and ready to acknowledge the value of completely unexpected
experiences.
Why is the concept of serendipity associated to environmentally sustainable wooden
buildings? We have already seen that, indeed, a wooden house is more environmentally
sustainable than other building methods currently available on the market. We have also
seen how much effort the wooden buildings sector has put into promoting the
environmentally sustainable qualities of their method. The Italian market still needs to be
educated and guided towards this growing sector. But each time a new wooden house is
designed and built, regardless of whether it was chosen for its anti-seismic or energy-
saving qualities, we will have succeeded in constructing an environmentally sustainable
building and we, designers, will still have the serendipity of knowing that we have built an
environmentally sustainable and beautiful home.
References
(1) MOEWES G: Weder Hutten Noch Palaste - Arkitektur und Onkologie in der
Arbeitsgeselschaft - Basel, Berlin, Boston 1995, pag. 204
(2) FRUHWALD;
WELLING, SHARAI RAD
2003, ‘Comparison of wood products and
major substitutes with respect to environmental and energy balances’. ECE/FAO
seminar: Strategies for the sound use of wood, Poiana Brasov, Romania, 24-27 March
2003
(2) RENZO PIANO (4- 11-2009 Corriere della Sera interview, after L’Aquila Earthquake
2009)
