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If they started building so massively and anarchically with timber, it would likely be even worse. Illegal cutting, mud slides, complete destruction of rivers,

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.
- enraged_camel 10y ago
  >>Sustainable timber production is a solved problem At current demand levels, yes. But if we're talking about replacing concrete with timber, you're going to find it difficult to keep timber production sustainable, since it will have to massively increase to meet new demand.
dredmorbius 10y ago
It's a good thing England and the UK have never had problems with overcutting timber, or deforesting Great Britain or Ireland. </s>

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.

enraged_camel 10y ago
>>Sustainable timber production is a solved problem At current demand levels, yes. But if we're talking about replacing concrete with timber, you're going to find it difficult to keep timber production sustainable, since it will have to massively increase to meet new demand.

dredmorbius 10y ago

It's a good thing England and the UK have never had problems with overcutting timber, or deforesting Great Britain or Ireland. </s>