The role of intermediary organisations in the sustainable transition of the Norwegian construction sector towards the broader deployment of wooden construction materials: Invited lecture at the Faculty of Sociology Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań

This paper presents an ongoing study on the innovative use of wood in the Norwegian construction sector to facilitate a sustainable transition of this sector. The construction sector has a considerable economic and social importance, as well as major environmental impacts. The construction sector is very conservative and path-dependent, but also rather diverse, encompassing not just the entrepreneurs who are constructing buildings, but also those actors who order the construction, architects, consultants, producers of construction materials etc. Sustainability transitions have to overcome path-dependence and lock-ins. Existing path-dependencies and lock-mechanisms contribute to unsustainable development within the construction sector and prevent a sustainable transformation of the sector. A crucial question is therefore how to change path-dependencies and lock-ins – what types of actors are required for such change? In this paper, we pay attention to the specific role of different types of intermediary organisations in the transition to a more sustainable construction sector in Norway. We investigate how such actors work to facilitate for increased use of wood materials within this sector. The research questions for this paper are as following: - Which new pathways have emerged for a more sustainable construction and building sector based on the use of wood? - What is the role of different types of intermediary organisations in shaping these new pathways? - How do intermediary organisations produce new users and markets for wood-based construction materials?