Wood Sustainability Assessment Through ISMAS Tool

ABSTRACT This research aimed to assess the level of sustainability of the wood used in construction, based on the previously established criteria obtained with the ISMAS tool - Tool for Selecting Most Sustainable Materials, which methodology specifically considers aspects related to “economy of raw materials” and “generation and waste management” in evaluation procedures. The tool displays the following rating scale for the possible results: very low, low, medium, high and very high. The methodology used to obtain the results was established from an instrument test, involving architects from the state of Espírito Santo (Brazil). The results showed a “high” sustainability index of the wood, contradicting the initial hypothesis that the material would reach the “very high” level. This result suggests the maturity of the sustainable wood concept, which currently relates only to the renewable criteria. The review by ISMAS demonstrated the necessity of using other criteria.