By HWZ International South Africa
Timber products offer solutions for modern sustainable construction. Here are seven reasons for working with timber as a construction material.
There are many benefits to using timber as a construction material. Image credit: Novatop and MC Frames
- Timber protects the climate
Each cubic meter of timber can hold one tonne of CO2 and each tree used in the timber industry created a place for a new tree which will grow in the forest and actively tie the CO2 from the air. Thanks to each timber construction we also produce less CO2 intensive materials such as concrete and steel at the same time.
- Timber is a renewable resource
While most other building materials must be produced using limited resources we have on earth, timber just grows back. In Austria, each second one cubic meter of timber grows, similar situation is in other parts of middle European Countries, from where HWZi exports construction spruce to South Africa. Since the 14th century there are lows securing the sustainability, nowadays guaranteed by PEFC and FSC certification and regulations issued by European Commission.
- Timber is nowadays a high-tech material
Timber constructions have been used for centuries, however intensive research and development brought new prospects of manufacturing timber which provided architects and builders with an opportunity to use timber in new ways. Various ways of laminations allow using timber for projects, where basic rough sawn timber has its limitations. Certified vertically or horizontally glue-laminated beams and cross laminated timber (CLT) offer dimensional stability, various standard dimensions and surface grades. Timber is also a perfect material for prefabricated buildings, it reduces not only the time on the building site, but also noise and mess (your neighbours will be very thankful for that). HWZi beams, CLT and first laminated spruce products are certified according to SANS and are locally available in South Africa.
- Timber brings diversity to the cities
New ways of manufacturing and computerised prefabrication allow new forms and motivate architects to design new shapes and to use visual timber for family houses as well as public buildings. Timber became a choice even for tall buildings and skyscrapers, especially in countries with a long history of timber constructions such as Canada, Finland or Austria. Even in South Africa, the Novatop Solid wood construction system is certified for multi-storey buildings.
- Timber is a lightweight material with a high bearing capacity
Thanks to the light weight of timber (weight of kiln dried spruce is approx. 450 kg/m³), timber constructions are much lighter than its equivalent built from concrete or brick and mortar. This saves money and place for thick fundaments for new projects and allows for the extensions of existing buildings, which may otherwise not be possible with other building materials. A good example is extensions over garages.
- Timber doesn’t produce any waste
Each piece of a tree can be used; the bark for garden decorations or power industry, wood chips for cellulose production or power industry, main material for construction and side boards for packaging or specific parts of construction. The moment the timber construction is not needed anymore, it can be easily and ecologically removed, and material can be either used or demolished without polluting the air.
- Timber offers a pleasant indoor climate
There are many rational arguments in favour of building with timber, however the final decision is often mostly an emotional decision. The smell of timber brings nature indoors to our homes. Research has shown that visual timber surfaces in the interior has a positive impact on our mood – it’s a warm building material which helps to regulate indoor climate in a very natural way.
The use of timber in buildings offers various aesthetic and structural benefits, as the timber lends itself to open plan designs and allows for complete enclosure in effective insulation for energy efficiency.
