Balancing specification & design lives for durable timber construction
Partners In Innovation 306
Start
Date: July 2002
Finish
Date: August 2004
People
often over-specify timber structures and wood construction. Hence, we use too
much, adding unnecessary costs. We also treat wood with synthetic chemicals. With correct
passive durability design, we often wouldn’t need to. In addition, we surface finish
with non-benign treatments, unnecessarily. This creates huge future disposal problems. The
small firms and practices that largely comprise the timber supply chain are extremely
conscious of this, but need assistance in changing towards the benign use of organic
building materials that "Co-Construct" requires (Response from CC to Sir John
Fairclough, 2001.
This project will provide tools for architects, structural engineers and other
construction professionals, giving IT-based support, for "passively durable"
concept designs. It will also increase client accessibility to cost effective,
maintainable passive durability solutions, with reduced environmental impacts This work
will also increase the scope for re-using and recycling untreated timber, remove immediate
and delayed costs of chemical protection, while increasing the social and cultural value
of timber structures
.
DTI
Timber Research and Development Association
Andrew Warning Associates (Consulting Engineers)
Cardiff University – School of Engineering
Pren Welsh Oak
Chiltern Clarke Bond
