Is it feasible to use wood in major constructions?
This article is also available here in Spanish.

Is it feasible to use wood in major constructions?

My list

Author | M. Martínez Euklidiadas

Wood has been the material of choice for thousands of years. Readily available, easy to treat and resistant, it made up the first columns, planks were used to make beams and it helped build bridges or railway lines. But humidity, pests or fire made them vulnerable compared with steel. Is it time to go back to wood as a structural material?

Fire, plagues and damp: why did we abandon wood as a structural material?

Wood is an incredibly versatile material It is capable of withstanding compression, traction, bending, shear or torsional stress, which is why it has been used for thousands of years in all types of structures, from low-rise houses to major engineering projects or machines such as carriages or ships. But the rise in popularity of steel and affordable concrete, marked the relegation of wood.

Unlike wood, steel does not rot, it lasts longer, it is much more stress-resistant and it does not burn. The combination of steel plus concrete as reinforced concrete is capable of reaching considerable heights (not always desirable after a certain height), increasing urban efficiency and in turn reducing the environmental impact. It is not surprising that wood slipped into the background.

The extremely high flammability of dry wood is probably its greatest defect and the reason behind most deaths in the past. Most centenary cities have completely burned down on numerous occasions. Porosity and the capacity to house insects led to deposits of parasites in the past, together with diseases. Have these issues been resolved?

The use of wood in construction is increasing worldwide

wooden building 2

As indicated by organizations such as Mass Timber Institute or WoodWorks the number of buildings in using wooden columns (vertical) and beams (horizontal) have continued to increase over the last decade. In the case of Ascent, the world’s highest mixed-use skyscraper (wood-concrete) (it has a reinforced concrete structure at its base and nucleus), or the Mjostarnet, in Norway, the tallest wooden building.

In these buildings, the wood has been treated to prevent fires, but the prevention and extinction systems have also been improved. They have to meet the same safety requirements as any other building of the same characteristics, therefore they are as safe, if not safer, than any other type of building.

The main benefits of building with wood

The advantages of building with wood include:

Simplified construction. It has been proven that working with wooden beams and columns is easier than doing so with concrete elements. They not only require less energy because of their own lower weight, but the joints require less workforce and complexity.. This allows for faster construction. It is an interesting solution given the lack of interest among younger generations in certain skilled trades.

It retains CO₂. Wood is an interesting way of retaining CO₂, and it could be an ecological solution provided certain points are met. One, that it lasts for decades before being reprocessed as waste. Two, that it comes from sustainable environments and does not contribute to forest degradation.

Improves health. As explained in the paper ‘Human physiological responses to wooden indoor environment’ and in many other similar ones, it is a fact that people who live in wooden indoor environments have better mental health indicators.

As the climate crisis concern increases, everything seems to indicate that timber buildings will become more relevant.

Images | Nazrin Babashova, Tom Podmore

Related content

Recommended profiles for you

SE
SILVIA ESCALERAS
SECRETARÍA GENERAL DE SEGURIDAD Y GOBERNABILIDAD
TÉCNICO DE RIESGOS
MA
Massimo Albarello
Omnia Network
TM
Ted Mengers Mengers
Pyranak Design Group
CEO
FE
Fabian Ebeling
Die Epilog
Publisher
IE
Idalia Estrada
TAAK Arquitectura
KK
Ka-Adilobari Kari
Heri Homes and Properties
RT
Raymond Tombokan
nyatu design inc
design director
HH
Harianto Harianto
goverment
public relations designer in government
JL
Joseph Losavio
World Economic Forum
Specialist- Internet of Things and Urban Transformation, World Economic Forum
IG
Ishantt Garg
THDC-IHET
Student
JS
Jordi Serrat Padrós
La salle campus Barcelona
Student of the 1st year degree in management of business and technology
JS
Juan Pablo Solano
IE
Master in Real estate
MR
Miquel Rueda
UAB Bellaterra
Student
VS
Venkatesh S K
Skives Marketing
Consultant
VG
Vitor Graçano
Students For Liberty Brasil
BJ
Bryson Jarrett
PepsiCo
Senior Customer Manager Associate
FH
Fabiha Hussain
self
BP
Bredthauer Patrick
Compsesa
President
SD
Steve Davidson
Nokia
director for marketing Nordics, Baltics and Benelux
FT
FERNANDO TOMÁS
IDOM
Smart Cities Business Manager