McDonald’s builds with timber

There is hardly a better sign that timber construction is gradually becoming accepted by the industry’s mainstream. When US fast food giant McDonald’s opens a branch built out of wood at one of the busiest intersections in São Paulo, it is a clear message for the world. According to architects SuperLimão Studio, who were responsible for the design for this ambitious new build, it is “the most sustainable McDonald’s in Brazil”.

Biometric timber-framed design

For their raised wooden building, the architects found their inspiration in nature – in the image of a tree. The mass timber columns that extend from the base to the ceiling of the upper storey divide into several branches towards the top, in a tree-like structure. This asymmetrical diagonal bracing is clearly visible from outside, through the floor-to-ceiling glazing.

Taking a biometric approach to the design, the team of architects oriented their work on the trees in nearby Avenida Bernardino de Campos, where it is said that the final remaining trees in this urban district grow. Along with the horizontal sunshading, the greened restaurant roof is designed to help regulate the interior temperature naturally. Rainwater and air conditioning condensate are collected and treated.

Timber Méqui as environmental ambassador

At its prominent site in the city of São Paulo, this timber Méqui opened in 2023 as a visible example of sustainable construction. “Since environmental awareness is just as important as actions, we decided to go beyond the project itself, turning it into a powerful tool for environmental education and awareness,” explains Lula Gouveia, architect and partner at SuperLimão.

Yellow floor markings guide visitors through the restaurant like a nature trail. Corresponding QR codes throughout the branch explain the sustainability relevance of certain materials and building materials. For the interior design and furnishings, conventional options were replaced with more sustainable alternatives from local manufacturers wherever possible. For example, the team says that recycled PET laminate was chosen instead of melamine.

Extensive prefabrication of the timber support structure also saved resources, reduced energy consumption and shortened construction time. The architects have not revealed the source of the wood used for the restaurant’s support structure.

Brazil’s massive deforestation

However, one thing is clear: Brazil is still far from achieving sustainable forestry. In 2022 alone, the country lost around 33,000 square kilometres of forest area, according to statistics platform Statista. These trees had to make way for either commercial agricultural production or shifting cultivation.

And the forests that remain are increasingly threatened by climate change, in the form of extreme weather, drought and pests. Today, deforestation and forest damage are responsible for about one tenth of global CO₂ emissions. According to climate experts, forest clearance must decrease by 70 percent by 2030 to prevent global warming from exceeding the 1.5°C threshold.

A recipe for the future

This environmentally friendly building in São Paulo is part of the McDonald’s initiative known as “Recipe for the Future”, which is the fast-food corporation’s program for tackling decarbonization. The company is aiming to achieve climate neutrality for all 40,000 restaurants and their respective supply chains by 2050. Paper packaging is already FSC-certified throughout, and the products themselves are free of deforestation.

One major challenge is expected to be net-zero restructuring of the supply chains, which produce around 80 percent of their total emissions – the meat production alone sends their carbon emissions sky high. However, it will at least be possible to achieve net zero for the construction and operation of McDonald’s restaurants – and the first climate-neutral branch that opened recently in England is an initial step.

Text: Gertraud Gerst
Translation: Rosemary Bridger-Lippe
Photos: Maíra Acayaba