Wood has a long history as a building material. There is evidence of wood being used for building structures from 10,000 years ago.
But today, wood is undergoing a renaissance, especially tall wood, which is being used in new and different ways.
Here are three surprising architectural advantages of using tall wood in construction:
1. Wood is strong.
Yes, steel is stronger. But steel is typically used with reinforced concrete, and buildings constructed with reinforced concrete have a finite life.
The steel in reinforced concrete corrodes and needs maintenance and sometimes structural strengthening in order to outlast a wood building.
2. Wood is environmentally friendly.
Assuming that the wood you’re using is farmed or harvested in a sensible, renewable manner, using wood is easier on the environment than using steel.
Steel is iron ore that has to be first mined, then smelted in a factory. Neither of these processes is great for the environment. Compare that to cutting down a tree and then moving a tree trunk through a sawmill.
3. Wood has flexibility.
We mean this literally and figuratively. Wood is flexible and also offers flexibility. It’s a whole lot easier and faster and cheaper to modify some wood when you’re in the middle of a big project, than it is to start modifying steel or already-poured concrete.
When a building is being built, there are always continuous changes required on the fly. Using wood makes that a lot easier.
Research has shown that buildings, in general, are most often torn down not because they are falling apart but because of changes in zoning or real estate investments. Wood buildings can last a very long time, and that’s why we still see wood structures from thousands of years ago.
If you are interested in using Big Wood for your construction project, definitely get in touch with us. This is our business. We can help you.
Seagate Mass Timber is leading the revolution in “Big Wood” being used in all areas of construction. Seagate has offices in British Columbia, Canada and the US in Washington state. If you have any questions about this article or would like to talk to us about your construction project, please call us at (604) 529-7685.
References:
https://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/products/a-history-of-wood-from-the-stone-age- to-the-21st- century_o#targetText=Wood%20is%20one%20of%20the,primary%20source%20for%20constru ction%20materials.&targetText=Wood%20continues%20to%20be%20used,structures%20such% 20as%20Chinese%20temples.
https://cwc.ca//www/wp-content/uploads/publications-Tall-Wood.pdf
https://open.library.ubc.ca/cIRcle/collections/undergraduateresearch/18861/items/1.0108291
https://www.thinkwood.com/building-better/taller-buildings https://1r4scx402tmr26fqa93wk6an-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp- content/uploads/2019/08/Think-Wood-CEU-Designing-for-Durability.pdf
Barekat, F., Han, D. Y., Dewan, M., & Qian, A. (2010, November 30). An Investigation into the Use of Wood vs. Steel and Concrete in Construction of the New SUB [R]. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0108291
