Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Timber Prentation
Timber Prentation
Innovation Patterns in
Timber construction
1
01 Background
02 Research Questions
03 Review Method
Agenda
05 Discussion of Results
06 Conclusion
07 Questions
2
Background
❖ Construction industry
❖ ≈ 40% CO2 emissions and 35% total energy consumption
❖ Structural timber (example: CLT, LVL, Glulam)
❖ Shorter construction duration
❖ Lower carbon footprint
❖ Widely used in tall buildings (Brock Commons Tallwood House,
commercial and private homes in Europe)
❖ Uncertainty around mass timber construction
❖ South Africa: 50% of homes use wood trusses, 1% are timber homes
❖ My goal:
❖ Determine the position of the South African timber industry
❖ Suggest how the position may be expanded
3
Research Questions
What are the main inhibitors of mass timber in the
1
structural landscape?
4
Review Method
6
Literature Review Results –
Year of Publication
Scopus publication Year
1900’s 2000’s
Year of Publication
Number of Articles 12 10
10 8 8
8
6 5
4 3 3 Frequency
2
2 1 1
0
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022
Year 7
Literature Review Results –
Geographical Origin of Study
Origin of Study
15 13
Number of Articles
10 8 Frequency
6 6 5
5 3
0
South South Multiple Europe North Oceania
Africa America countries America
Year
Number of Articles
25 22 Frequency
20 16
15
10 6
5
0
Inhibitors Benefits of Timber Types Innovation
Timber in Paths/Ideas
Construction
Concepts
9
Literature Review Results –
Benefits of Timber Construction
❖ Benefits from most to least ❖ Carbon Sequestration
prominent
❖ Majority associated with ❖ Construction Time
CLT
❖ May be assumed to be ❖ Energy Efficiency
extended to 3 considered
types
❖ Environmental
❖ Timber Recycling
10
Literature Review Results –
Inhibitors of Timber Construction
Resource Availability
Fire Performance
Resource Availability
Hybrid Building
Timber Recycling
Durability 12
Discussion of Results – Timber
Types
❖ Cross Laminated Timber (CLT)
❖ Perpendicular layers of dried lumber bonded by an adhesive
❖ Properties: high strength, stiffness, dimensional stability and accuracy
❖ Popular wood type: softwoods bonded with polyurethane adhesive
❖ Glue Laminated Timber (Glulam)
❖ Layers of strength-tested wood, bonded with moisture resistant adhesive
❖ Widely used in Europe and North America
❖ Properties: size and shape flexibility, high strength: weight
❖ Laminated Veneer Lumber (LVL)
❖ Bonded thin wood veneers
❖ Properties: high dimensional stability and strength – low-rise construction
❖ Europe – coniferous forests
❖ South Africa – SA pine from sawmills and eucalypt trees for CLT
13
Discussion of Results – Benefits of
Timber in Construction
❖ Carbon Sequestration
❖ Europe and USA – if forests managed sustainably:
❖ Reduce cradle-to-construction emissions by 35 – 47%
❖ Reduce space-conditioning energy by 30-40%
❖ South Africa – roof truss comparison
❖ Light gauge steel truss ≈ 2 x environmental impact of timber truss
❖ Construction Time
❖ CLT = high dimensional accuracy, prefabrication and modular construction
❖ Reduces time to erect building significantly
❖ According to estimates by industry professionals:
❖ Reinforced concrete building (≈42 weeks) and timber building (≈21 weeks)
❖ CLT estimated at 4-7 days per floor
❖ Reinforced concrete estimated at 21 – 30 days per floor
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Discussion of Results – Benefits of
Timber in Construction
❖ Environmental and Energy Efficiency
❖ Reducing pressure on freshwater resources
❖ Timber is highly recyclable - reduce waste in landfills and increase recovery of
demolition scrap
❖ Reduction in operational energy of buildings
❖ Wood has superior insulation abilities to steel and concrete
❖ Manufacturing of light gauge steel = 6.65 x manufacture of structural timber
❖ Timber Recycling
❖ Re-purpose structural wood into low-grade products at end-of-life
❖ Capitalize on sequestration and reduces need for new wood products
❖ CLT is a good candidate for timber recycling
❖ Bio-fuel use if reuse is impractical – lowers positive environmental impact
❖ Decomposition in landfill or incineration releases carbon back into atmosphere
15
Discussion of Results – Main
Inhibitors for Timber Construction
❖ Durability
❖ Airtightness impacts durability
❖ If leakage → increase in energy consumption and mould growth risk
❖ High initial moisture content (20 – 26%) reduces airtightness
❖ Panels with ≈ 13% initial moisture perform better
❖ Wetting of timber during construction must be avoided
❖ Local climate, wall positioning, constructing details affected wall moisture response
❖ Incorrect waterproofing of wall
❖ Risk of moisture absorption and decay → costly to fix
❖ Resource Availability
❖ Growing popularity = higher demand
❖ Deforestation – mostly due to clearance for agriculture
❖ Sustainable management is essential for widespread mass timber construction
❖ If not, can result in shortage of global resources
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Discussion of Results – Main
Inhibitors for Timber Construction
❖ Fire Performance:
❖ Resistance to complete burnout during a fire is an issue
❖ After decay phases, risk of structural failure is high
❖ Adhesives
❖ Typical failure temperature of adhesives – 200 - 400°C
❖ Polyurethane used in South Africa for CLT manufacture
❖ Polyurethane → poor flame and delamination resistance when bonded to eucalyptus
wood
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Discussion of Results – Main
Inhibitors for Timber Construction
❖ Public Knowledge and Perception
❖ Survey of 38 construction professionals
❖ Durability
❖ Lack of demand
❖ High maintenance costs
❖ Other surveys noted poor fire performance as a barrier
❖ In South Africa:
❖ Traditional construction viewed as employment opportunities
❖ Perception that mass timber construction will further increase unemployment rate
20
Discussion of Results – Innovations
and Solutions
❖ Durability
❖ Technologies enhancing airtightness
❖ Cover joints with bitumen or tape
❖ Sealing products used between elements
❖ Airtight membrane wall coves
❖ Extruded polystyrene for thermal insulation – safe from moisture decay
❖ Prevention of base wood dampness
❖ Extruded aluminum billet in foundation fixed to concrete slab using anchors
❖ CLT panels may be fastened on top of billet → confirmed load-bearing for two- to three-
storey structures
❖ Copper Chrome Arsenic (CCA) treatments to extend durable life
❖ Disadvantage: health and environmental concerns
21
Discussion of Results – Innovations
and Solutions
❖ Timber Recycling
❖ Wood-plastic composites (60% biomass, pressed at 180°C for 30 min)
❖ Low-cost product → alien trees and recycled polyethene in South Africa
❖ Tested for use in low-cost housing as cladding and ceilings
❖ No additives and minimal processing
❖ Suitable for non-structural interior applications (including high humidity areas)
❖ Demolition wood from oak-house
❖ CLT panels fashioned from: recycled wood, new wood and a combination
❖ Recovered wood → high knottiness – lower bending strength
❖ Met certain structural application requirements
❖ Require larger scale experiment to verify results
❖ Resource Availability
❖ Understanding of tree farming and factors affected carbon sequestration
❖ Degree of afforestation required and sustainable management of forests
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❖ Reduced impact logging, forest certification, DNA tracking
Discussion of Results – Innovations
and Solutions
❖ Resource availability
❖ Reduced impact logging: strategic and professional tree harvesting
❖ Eastern Cape and KwaZulu Natal, South Africa:
❖ Afforestation land available → 1 million 𝑚3 of sawlog timber in 24 years
❖ Western Cape, South Africa
❖ Coastal area for dryland forestry
❖ Green-gluing
❖ Gluing of wet, unseasoned lumber
❖ Green-gluing of young eucalypt planks in South Africa → positive results
❖ Edge-bonded eucalypt wood as an alternative to structural timber
❖ Hybrid building
❖ High frequency oscillating/linear friction welding
❖ Carbon fibers to reinforce timber and increase resilience
❖ Hybrid timber steel structure → possible solution for limited wood resources
23
Discussion of Results – Innovations
and Solutions
❖ Hybrid building
❖ Hybrid LVL in steel car body parts – minor success, can be optimized
❖ Europe:
❖ Need for affordable housing and building linked with green building awareness
❖ Led to prefabrication and lean timber production
❖ Demand for schools in UK → proposed prefabricated school structures
❖ Fire performance:
❖ Non-combustible timber wall linings (example: drywall)
❖ Thicker timber lamella for CLT → thicker char layer
❖ Melamine-based fire-resistant adhesives → limit delamination during a fire
❖ Further research: thermal deterioration of adhesives
❖ Public knowledge and perception
❖ Promote successful mass timber structures, marketing strategies
❖ Share environmental benefits, debunk safety concerns 24
Discussion of Results – Innovations
and Solutions
❖ Education and training
❖ Knowledge sharing between professionals in the design and construction sectors
❖ Increase awareness of available technologies may increase faith and investment
❖ Government intervention to inspire buy-in from companies
❖ Adapting building codes/ creating technical, design and material standards
❖ Financial support of greener building solutions and encourage development of skills
❖ Incentive programs favoring green building
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Conclusion
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Conclusion
27
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Questions?
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