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It's the impermanence of standard stick construction that ruins the gains of switching materials. Cross laminated timber seems to have potential, however it is
by rch 6y ago
It's the impermanence of standard stick construction that ruins the gains of switching materials. Cross laminated timber seems to have potential, however it is significantly more expensive for the moment.
- FooHentai 6y agoThe formaldehyde-based adhesives that are used in engineered timbers also complicated the picture a bit, from long-term health and sustainability perspectives. Perfect world would be a much larger supply of old-growth hardwoods with characteristics that make them ideal for construction. If some synthetic means of growing such material comes around, that could be a game changer.
- rch 6y agoMy understanding is that polyurethane adhesives are better suited for CLT, and don't have the same emissions problems. Your point is well taken though: the entire supply chain needs to be accounted for, in addition to the lifetime of the structures.
- Gravityloss 6y agoThere are also ways around this. You can join softwood with screws made out of hardwood. There's a German company making those. Some companies join boards with aluminum nails. You can make massive wood from cheap material without glue. There's a company that makes boards with a wavy surface. Multiple boards lock together easily. They made a prototype bridge with very little fastening.