Almost 40% of annual gas emmissions globally are produced by the construction sector. Due to the housing crisis of the Netherlands, the ministry of Housing and Spatial Planning wants to build almost a million dwellings before 2030, double the number of dwellings normally built in the same period. With that come greater gas emmisions. This growing amount of emissions however, can decrease drastically by using local and natural materials instead of the often used steel or concrete.

This research therefore aims to explore the potentials of natural local fibers for structural materials within new architecture. The use of these materials could reduce the carbon emissions greatly, while also bringing back the local identity of a place, that is now mostly lost due to a lot of generic, one-size-fits-all architecture.

This research begins with the investigation of local, natural materials that already have been introduced as building materials in the Netherlands historically and evaluates other natural fibers and their availability. The research soon delves into willow fibers and their properties and potentials. The final results provide an insight into the structural properties of different species of willow, a design for a structural element, its potential implementations within architectural projects and the possibilities of using this fiber on a big scale.