Paul Angel S.

dela Rosa
BS ARCH 1-2

WOOD AND PLASTIC: WHAT ABOUT THEM?

Wood is a structural tissue found in woody plants that has minute spaces to which liquid
or gas can pass. It makes up most of the stems and branches of trees beneath the bark. It serves
not only as a construction material but also fuel, furniture, paper, even weapons for the people in
the past. But today in our lesson in our subject Building Technology 1, we were taught many
things about wood. I was interested by the fact that wood is diverse, so diverse that one may not
completely differentiate a particular wood from others without careful observation.
Because certain types of wood are tough, they are used for construction particularly as a
skeleton of a building or a support. I noticed many houses; buildings and other structures use
wood as their base before adding concrete and other materials that will reinforce the structure.
What made me interested in wood is its versatility. Like I said earlier, there are varieties of
woods that can be used for different purposes. But in its function as a construction material, it
can serve as functional or aesthetic aspect or both for a structure.
After keeping in mind that wood’s toughness as a reason for it being a support, let’s
explore its use for aesthetics. Due to the fact that wood is diverse, there are so many options to
choose from as to what one would want for their house to look like. We can use mahogany,
rosewood, pine, cedar or oak as either flooring or furniture. In using wood, I hear words such as
veneers or grains, we were taught about what those are and what its uses are. Veneer is a thin
decorative covering of fine wood applied to a coarser wood or other material. Bonding veneers
together in a manner in which the grains of the veneers are perpendicular to each other forms
plywood. Another use for veneer sheets is that those can be arranged to emphasize the color and
figure of the wood, the process is called matching. Examples are book, herringbone and slip
matching. Wood may have so many functions for a building, but through careful processing and
productions of these woods only will these functions be utilized to its fullest.
I believe that in using wood, one must be aware of its advantages, disadvantages and be
prepared if something might happen that might impede the construction or lower the quality of
the structure. Examples of deviations are warp, cup bow or crook. Another material that is useful
in construction is plastics.
Plastic is typically an organic polymer (meaning it has repeated units in its molecular
structure) that is moldable. It possesses properties such as water resistance, corrosion resistance,
electrical and thermal insulation, and durability, which are very important in construction. It can
serve as water pipelines, electrical conduits or coat or frames for door and windows. It may not
be as strong as wood, but plastics function differently and still perform vital functions. Woods
and plastic each have their own vital roles to complete. Given that their properties are utilized
and are placed correctly to places that they are needed most, these materials will be useful to any
types of structures that will be built, may it be functional or aesthetic. I’ve learned information
during the discussion that may be useful in the future. I’m really looking forward to the next day
of discussions.