Analysis of the potential market capacity and consumption volumes of wall building wood-mineral composite materials meant for individual developers

Introduction. Ensuring the integrated waste-free use of forest resources, including low-quality wood and byproducts, is an important challenge for both forest users and government officials. The use of wood raw materials can go in various directions, but first of all it is necessary to identify highly marketable competitive products that can be produced from these resources and to ascertain their demand and consumption volumes. Thermal insulation and structural materials are products that are in high demand within the rapidly evolving sectors of multi-storey and individual construction.

The aim of research is to analyze the potential market capacity and consumption volumes of thermal insulation and structural materials – wood-mineral composites for individual residential building. To achieve this objective, the following tasks were undertaken: to analyze the trends, rates and volumes of housing construction in the Russian Federation, to determine the features of individual housing construction technologies, to assess the prospects and volumes of potential use of wood-mineral composites as a wall material. The focus of research is arbolite, a structural and thermal insulation material composed of lightweight concrete with an organic filler, and its position within the building materials industry.

Materials and methods. In the course of the work, literary sources were analyzed, hypotheses were put forward, methods of abstraction, generalization, analysis and synthesis were used.
Research outcomes. The housing construction sector is a driver that ensures the delivery of millions of square meters of housing and the development of related industries and logistics of building materials. The growth rate of housing construction volumes reaches 15 to 17 percent per year. Since 2021, there has been a steady trend of exceeding the volume of housing commissioning built by the population over the volume of multi-apartment buildings. A trend towards widespread savings and a decrease in the level of consumption of individual developers has been identified. Houses are built in a single-story design, with a relatively small area ranging from 80 to 120 square meters. A modern developer avoids a complex, expensive and labor-intensive multi-layer wall structure. Aerated concrete is the predominant material in the wall construction market, with production volumes above 15 million m3. Wood-mineral composites are not inferior, and in a number of indicators surpass aerated concrete and frame technologies of house construction, and can completely replace the volumes of application of these materials and technologies.

Conclusions. The analysis of housing construction rates and volumes in Russia indicates the industry's important role in supplying housing to the population, facilitating the efficient functioning of the mortgage and lending banking sector, and supporting numerous industries involved in construction and production of finishing materials, as well as logistics and transportation companies. Wood-mineral composites, as a competitive material, can effectively capture a substantial segment of the wall building materials industry.