INNOVATION PATTERNS IN TIMBER DESIGN

1. Purpose:
The building and construction industry is one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas
emissions in the world. Due to this, the need for “greener” building alternatives grew more
pressing and thus the use of timber in construction became more popularized. The purpose
of this study is to identify market opportunities within the timber construction industry,
with focus on the South African market. The study also aims to determine innovation paths
to address building concerns and expand the adoption of timber as a building material.

2. Context:
This study is carried out in the context of the timber industry in South Africa, as compared
to developed countries such as Australia and those within Europe. The creation of a
comparison will assist in identifying market needs within South Africa and innovation
paths to satisfy those needs.

3. Research Questions:
3.1. What are the market opportunities for mass timber?
3.2. What are the main inhibitors of mass timber into the structural landscape?
3.3. What possible product development paths may be forged to promote wider scale
adoption of mass timber into the structural landscape?

4. Objectives:
4.1. Identify current inhibitors and innovations within the mass timber landscape, with
specific reference to: Cross-laminated Timber (CLT), Laminated Veneer Lumber
(LVL) and Glulam
4.2. Recommendation of innovation opportunities regarding use of timber in
construction

5. Literature Review:
The need for “greener” alternatives within the building and construction industry is not
limited to the growing use of timber. This also includes the sustainable production of
building materials, such as steel, which contributes to about 7% of worldwide carbon
emissions. There is a drive towards the implementation of non-coal-based production
alternatives, such as hydrogen and solar power.

The use of timber displays a higher initial cost, as compared to traditional steel and concrete
which affects the economic viability. However, the timber building, results in a reduced
operating cost, as well as a lower carbon footprint during the life cycle of the building.
A total of 44 articles have been analysed so far, 14 articles focused on the challenges
associated with timber. The distribution is shown below:
Figure 1: Challenges of timber construction

The biggest challenge within South Africa is timber resource availability, affecting
economic viability of timber construction.

6. Methodological Procedures:
Databases utilised for the literature search included Scopus and Web of Science. Articles
were analysed according to:
a) Identification of articles using Boolean search operators
b) Exclusion of irrelevant articles based on simple criteria (such as publish date,
language, accessibility)
c) Abstracts were further screened and irrelevant articles excluded
d) Articles were then filtered according to research question relevance
e) A screening table was populated based on the full texts of articles and articles were
sorted according to applicability to the study
Data extraction was completed using the analysis tool Atlas.ti.
Quality assessment of the articles was done using criteria such as: generalisability and
relevance to research questions.

7. Findings:
The most prominent material was found to be CLT (discussed in 51% of articles), which
has been used successfully in the building of multiple timber buildings including: the Brock
Commons dormitory in Canada.
Main inhibitors included: financial viability, fire performance, durability, public perception
and deforestation. Innovative solutions to inhibitors included: utilisation of local resources
and attractive IRR, plaster and gypsum board as fire retardants, chemical treatments,
correct waterproof practices and insulation to increase durability. Education of laborers,
engineers and designers regarding timber building strategies and approaches. Reduced-
Impact Logging policies in place to ensure that trees are cut at the correct stages of cutting
cycles and planting more trees than are consumed. Recycling of timber into lower-grade
wood products will also contribute to limiting the “new” wood resources required in the
market.
It was found that within the Western Cape (South Africa) there are coastal drylands
exhibiting the potential to grow high-grade sawn timber. Tree plantations in the Eastern
Cape may also be converted in eucalypt or pine tree plantations.

8. Implications:
This paper has implications relating to timber construction within the international and
South African market. It describes the current position of the local industry and suggests
innovation pathways for expansion.
The paper may also be valuable to the international market in terms of further investigation
regarding timber applications within the automobile industry, hybrid materials and
thermally insensitive adhesives.

A limitation of this paper is the absence of inputs from role players within the timber
industry. While article research provides the foundational concepts and understanding,
obtaining first-hand knowledge provides deeper insight into what has been tested and what
may be possible in terms of innovation. Another limitation is shortage of data available
regarding the public perception towards building with timber. Further research must be
carried out regarding specialized design skills and knowledge required for timber design
and construction, particularly within the South African market, where the concept is
relatively “new”.
Other future research includes: improving strength and flexibility of recycled timber,
creation of hybrid wood products, such as timber/steel (possible applications within the
automotive industry), thermal responses of various adhesives and the use of eucalypt trees
as CLT material through the use of green-gluing/wood welding.
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Benefits of Mass Timber as an Alternative to Concrete and Steel for Improving the Sustainability
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