B+C Design Construct Bala Residence Timber as a sustainable

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Timber as a sustainable building material

• BC Design Construct
• Bala Residence

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Sustainable building materials

• The materials used to build our homes can have
  significant health and environmental effects
• When choosing materials for environmentally
  sustainable buildings we must consider
• The processes used to harvest raw material
• Processing of material
• Transport to site

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So, what is timber?

• Timber is a material which can be used for
  building or carpentry and is derived from trees.
  It is organic and renewable and can be used in a
  wide range of applications.
• In order to make best use of timber in
  environmental buildings we must understand how
  timber is produced and how its natural properties
  effect it as a building material.

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The resource

• The majority of Australian timber production is
  from managed forests. There are two broad
  classifications of managed forests
• Managed Native Forests
• Plantations

Click on image to play video gtgt
Source FWPRDC Education Resource
Package -Construction Component
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Managed native forests

• Managed for
• Species conservation
• Water harvesting
• Timber harvesting
• Public education
• Recreation

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Plantations

• In plantations trees are specifically planted and
  nurtured for timber production.

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A plantation coup

• Most commonly plantations have only a single
  species is planted. However plantations can be
  several species.

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Timber - environment

• Growing and harvesting timber
• Low energy of production
• Carbon stored in timber away from atmospheric
  cycle
• Managed Forests
• Plantations - single species farmed for timber
• Native forests managed for many uses
• species conservation / biodiversity
• water harvesting
• timber harvesting
• public education
• recreation

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Carbon cycle
Carbon IN
Carbon OUT
Over long term Carbon in carbon out
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Environmental considerations
Managed Native Forest
Plantation

Over long term Carbon removed from atmosphere gt
carbon released into atmosphere
Growing Trees
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Harvesting timber
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Timber grows on trees!

• All plant material consists of cells of various
  shapes and arrangements. The presence of the very
  complex organic substance known as lignin is an
  essential feature of those plants being described
  as woody. It bonds the various types of cell
  together, producing the degree of rigidity that
  is associated with wood, and enables woody plants
  to attain their large size (Wood in
  Australia, 1983)

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Timber is cellular!
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Cellular construction of timber

• The cellular construction of timber effects its
  properties
• Cells are bound together to form fibres, and have
  the main direction of orientation in the
  longitudinal direction. This makes timber a
  fibrous material.

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Grading for forest products
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Grading for forest products

• Only some part of any log or tree can be used for
  sawn or veneer products. The remainder can be
  used for sheet products, paper or cardboard.
• Sawlogs Approximately 30 of the tree goes to
  producing sawlogs
• Pulp
• Veneer

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• Timber is a light construction material with a
  high strength to weight ratio.
• Economic and easy to use, it is available as a
  structural and appearance product, and suitable
  for a wide range of uses.

Hardwood in a drying yard
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Some considerations when selecting materials!

• Clean materials
• Healthy Materials
• Renewable materials
• Natural materials
• Abundant materials
• Durable materials
• Resource efficient materials and material usage
• Reusable and recyclable material
• Energy Efficient material

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Timber is a clean material

• Using Life Cycle Assessment timber can be seen to
  be a clean material relative to other building
  products like concrete and steel.

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Life cycle impacts of major building materials.
Source ATHENATM Sustainable materials
Institute, undated
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Timber is a healthy material

• Timber is a natural, organic and healthy
  material, and its production helps clean the
  environment.
• Timber can be chemically treated to enhance
  performance in some ways, (appearance,
  durability), in most cases only a small amount of
  this chemical is used.

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Timber is a renewable material

• Timber is grown and harvested in the natural
  environment, flows through the economy in many
  different applications and then returns to the
  natural environment at the end of its life.
• Managed forests ensure that timber remains in
  abundance as a building material.

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Timber flows through the economy.
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Durability issues

• Timber has natural durability to some hazards.
  This can be due to the chemicals stored in the
  wood structure, or in some cases it may be due to
  the wood structure itself.

700 year old grain store, France
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Durability issues

• Hazard - biological or physical
• Natural durability of timber
• Treatment of Timber
• Design for Durability
• Fire

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Durability
Biological/ Physical Hazards Weathering Fire C
hemical Fungi Termites / borers Marine
Maintenance ensures protection remains functional
Design Detailing Minimises exposure to hazards
Timber Species Natural durability of heartwood
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Timber can be durable by design

• Correctly specify species and treatment to match
  function and environment
• Keep timber dry
• Protect timber from weathering
• Detail connections to avoid trapped water
• Use corrosion resistant fasteners
• Isolate timber from termites - inspect regularly
• Maintain timber regularly - use good quality
  paints, stains, WRPs
• Protect structural timber from fire

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Timber is resource efficient

• All parts of a tree can be used in various
  applications, and care and good design can ensure
  greater resource efficiency when using timber.

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Reusable and recyclable material

• There is much recycled timber available for
  reuse, and local council DCPs and Green building
  rating tools encourage reuse.

500yr old recycled timber, France
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Other recycling options

• Waste timber can be mulched or chipped for energy
  or heat recovery as biomass.

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Timber is an energy efficient material
Timber uses less energy to make!
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Summary

• Timber is a renewable resource
• Timber can be made more durable through good
  design and treatment
• Timber is a low embodied energy material, with
  low life cycle impacts
• There are various reuse and recycle options
• Timber has an important role in a sustainable
  built environment.