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Several comments have mentioned that sand is not a renewable resource and the need for alternative building materials. Where I live in Hackney in London there h

by dmitri1981 10y ago

Several comments have mentioned that sand is not a renewable resource and the need for alternative building materials. Where I live in Hackney in London there has been a gradual increase in the number of buildings built using cross-laminated timber. It offers huge benefits over concrete, it is a renewable resource and much lighter than concrete. Despite expectations the buildings are still just as fire proof as concrete and can be constructed up to 10 storeys high. There are 23 such buildings either built or completed in Hackney.

2sk21 10y ago
Engineered lumber is quite common in the US for smaller buildings. When we renovated our house, the builder used an I-beam made of such material. I would be interested to hear if this is also being used for larger structures - I doubt if it would be possible to make a 10 story building out of wood.
- magicbuzz 10y ago
  http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-25/all-timber-apartments-assembled-like-flat-packed-furniture/8301308 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-25/all-timber-apartments-... Saw this recently on this subject.
- arjie 10y ago
  My uncle works at a company that's involved in this proposed 11 story wood building in Portland: http://www.nextportland.com/2016/07/21/framework-dz1/ http://www.nextportland.com/2016/07/21/framework-dz1/ Their projects page lists a couple of other buildings: https://structurecraft.com/projects https://structurecraft.com/projects
- jimnotgym 10y ago
  Can't find a link right now, but I did read an article on skyscrapers being designed out of engineered timber. I think it is something about using the whole box as structure, whereas in a steel building the curtain walling is just dead load. We simply cannot keep building out of concrete, as this story shows.
  - tajen 10y ago
    We all have the same doubts about wood. Seeing skyscraper scaffoldings in bamboo might change our perception of physics ;) https://www.google.fr/search?tbm=isch&q=bamboo+scaffolding https://www.google.fr/search?tbm=isch&q=bamboo+scaffolding
Gravityloss 10y ago
If they started building so massively and anarchically with timber, it would likely be even worse. Illegal cutting, mud slides, complete destruction of rivers, massive building fires. The place could turn into a desert. You likely can't fix this with some simple technological measure. There are just too many people who want to improve their material standard of living. They have the tools and it's a tragedy of the commons from there on.
- chiph 10y ago
  Glulam beams are actually pretty ecologically sound. They're made from laminations of smaller pieces of wood, so there's less demand for old-growth trees. It can also be made of the smaller pieces left over from cutting larger pieces. And of course, trees are a renewable resource, if managed right via sustainable forestry. Another benefit to them is that a single glulam beam can replace several ordinary dimensional pieces of lumber. So you end up using less wood because they're stronger. And when used as architectural elements, they're attractive. https://www.apawood.org/glulam https://www.apawood.org/glulam
  - Gravityloss 10y ago
    I'm more than a little bit suspicious of these glues. They form moisture barriers for one. How is the longer term durability (100, 200, 300 years)?
    - chiph 10y ago
      The ones I know about are coming up on 55 years in use and still look good. I expect as long as you keep them dry and insect-free they'll last a long time.
- mseebach 10y ago
  Sustainable timber production is a solved problem, opposing wood use in general (as opposed to specifically, when done using problematically sourced timber) is counterproductive. Also, I recall reading that most old-growth forest clearance is to free up the land for agriculture, not primarily to produce timber, so timber buildings aren't causing this.
specialist 10y ago
I was against timber-based construction. Mostly for esthetic reasons. I associated cheap construction with sprawl, waste. I now think the impermanence is a feature, not a liability. It's fine for a building to last just 20, 40, 60 years. And then get torn down and have the land repurposed.

2sk21 10y ago

Engineered lumber is quite common in the US for smaller buildings. When we renovated our house, the builder used an I-beam made of such material. I would be interested to hear if this is also being used for larger structures - I doubt if it would be possible to make a 10 story building out of wood.

magicbuzz 10y ago
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-25/all-timber-apartments-assembled-like-flat-packed-furniture/8301308 http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-02-25/all-timber-apartments-... Saw this recently on this subject.
arjie 10y ago
My uncle works at a company that's involved in this proposed 11 story wood building in Portland: http://www.nextportland.com/2016/07/21/framework-dz1/ http://www.nextportland.com/2016/07/21/framework-dz1/ Their projects page lists a couple of other buildings: https://structurecraft.com/projects https://structurecraft.com/projects
jimnotgym 10y ago
Can't find a link right now, but I did read an article on skyscrapers being designed out of engineered timber. I think it is something about using the whole box as structure, whereas in a steel building the curtain walling is just dead load. We simply cannot keep building out of concrete, as this story shows.
- tajen 10y ago
  We all have the same doubts about wood. Seeing skyscraper scaffoldings in bamboo might change our perception of physics ;) https://www.google.fr/search?tbm=isch&q=bamboo+scaffolding https://www.google.fr/search?tbm=isch&q=bamboo+scaffolding

Gravityloss 10y ago

If they started building so massively and anarchically with timber, it would likely be even worse. Illegal cutting, mud slides, complete destruction of rivers, massive building fires. The place could turn into a desert. You likely can't fix this with some simple technological measure. There are just too many people who want to improve their material standard of living. They have the tools and it's a tragedy of the commons from there on.

chiph 10y ago
Glulam beams are actually pretty ecologically sound. They're made from laminations of smaller pieces of wood, so there's less demand for old-growth trees. It can also be made of the smaller pieces left over from cutting larger pieces. And of course, trees are a renewable resource, if managed right via sustainable forestry. Another benefit to them is that a single glulam beam can replace several ordinary dimensional pieces of lumber. So you end up using less wood because they're stronger. And when used as architectural elements, they're attractive. https://www.apawood.org/glulam https://www.apawood.org/glulam
- Gravityloss 10y ago
  I'm more than a little bit suspicious of these glues. They form moisture barriers for one. How is the longer term durability (100, 200, 300 years)?
  - chiph 10y ago
    The ones I know about are coming up on 55 years in use and still look good. I expect as long as you keep them dry and insect-free they'll last a long time.
mseebach 10y ago
Sustainable timber production is a solved problem, opposing wood use in general (as opposed to specifically, when done using problematically sourced timber) is counterproductive. Also, I recall reading that most old-growth forest clearance is to free up the land for agriculture, not primarily to produce timber, so timber buildings aren't causing this.

specialist 10y ago

I was against timber-based construction. Mostly for esthetic reasons. I associated cheap construction with sprawl, waste. I now think the impermanence is a feature, not a liability. It's fine for a building to last just 20, 40, 60 years. And then get torn down and have the land repurposed.