Thursday, May 7, 2015

Is timber a sustainable building material?

Is timber a sustainable building material?

Timber is of course a sustainable material as it is a natural and renewable resource. Not only that timber derived from trees that consumes carbon dioxide and releases oxygen in their life cycle, it consumes less energy than other most of other materials as it does not need many manufacturing processes.

Timber is also a renewable material considering it reusability. Comparing to other major building materials such as glass, aluminium and steel, timber is the only one that can be reused without whole broken down and remanufacture. In addition to this, timber products other than paper are usually recycled into a new building. After structural timber is weathered and wracked, they becomes a good source to recycle to be skirting boards, doors, window frames, floor claddings, etc..




In recent years, recycled and salvaged timber becomes a fashionable icon in building projects. The valuable texture promotes the natural feelings that other materials cannot deliver. The lantern pavilion in Norway shown below was constructed by sustainable timbers and glass panels. The use of materials with the design highlights the beauty of environmentally friendly architecture. Being an iconic meeting place, it performs to the public the possibility to combine traditional architecture with modern building styles.



References:

1. Timber Sustainability

2. Timber as a sustainable building material

3. The Lantern Pavilion: Glowing Contemporary Architecture Made of Sustainable Timber
http://inhabitat.com/the-lantern-pavilion-glowing-contemporary-architecture-made-of-sustainable-timber/


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