TIMBER; A SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION METHOD

TERM PAPER

ON
BLD 421:

PREPARED BY

ADEGOKE OLUWASEYI JOHN

ARC/2015/005

SUBMITTED TO

DR. BABAFEMI

MAY, 2019
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1.0. BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY

Over the past decade, the quest for sustainability and the concept of green building has become a

drive of the human race. Everyone is becoming aware of the potential environmental benefits of this

alternative to conventional construction methods and materials resulting into a responsibility to help

address climate change and other issues through sustainable construction.

Although another way this is being achieved is by reducing a building’s energy consumption (heating,

ventilation, and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems) and reducing negative human health impacts

(such as controlled ventilation and humidity to reduce mold growth), choice of building materials

also goes a long way in achieving sustainability.

A building requires assembling different materials through the process of construction. (Abimaje and

Baba, 2014). Some of these materials include concrete, timber (wood), steel and glass. Energy is

involved in the extraction of these raw materials, their processing and transportation from the factory

to the construction site and their eventual placement. Most developing countries of the World depend

on fossil fuel for energy generation for these processes. This results in the emission of greenhouse

gases such as carbon dioxide, Sulphur dioxide, methane etc. in the atmosphere resulting in the

depletion of ozone layer thus causing global warming and by extension, climate change.

As more consideration is given to environmental concerns, especially associated with climate change,

interest in the use of timber as a construction material is experiencing a renaissance. Owing to its

unique characteristics, wood has historically been a valuable and useful natural resource. There are

very few building materials possess the environmental benefits of timber, it is also one of the most

important construction materials mankind has ever come across.

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Timber is at the heart of modern construction owing to its versatility, abundance in nature and

environmental friendliness. However, tree is continually being fell for construction work without due

consideration for afforestation, consequently the nature is over exploited resulting in environmental

degradation, desertification, desert encroachment and imbalance in the ecosystem.

This has stimulated the need to investigate and asses the potentials of timber as a sustainable building

material, hence the topic ‘Timber; A Sustainable Construction Method’.

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2.0. AIMS AND OBJECTIVES
This paper aims at assessing the potentials of timber as a sustainable construction material with a

view to determining its comparative sustainability against other commonly used building materials

including steel. To achieve the above aim, the study objectives are to:

i. Investigate the qualities of timber as a sustainable construction method and building

material.

ii. Examine the challenges and defects of timber as a sustainable construction method and

building material.

iii. Investigate the sustainability of timber as a construction method and building material.

iv. To advance conclusions and recommendations that will enhance the sustainability of

timber as a sustainable construction method and building material.

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3.0. LITERATURE REVIEW

3.01. THE QUALITIES OF TIMBER AS A SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION METHOD

Local perceptions of the local timber resource have in the past perhaps been somewhat

negative with concerns raised over both availability and quality of the timber.

What makes timber fit for purpose is a combination of two or more of the following:

i. Adequate strength or stiffness;

Timber is light-weight and strong, meaning it has a high strength to weight ratio making

it an excellent framing material.: A timber beam will be stronger than a beam

made of either concrete or steel of the same weight. Timber´s flexibility makes

it a good material to use in earthquake zones.

It is very durable and there are numerous finishes available to protect and enhance the

natural beauty of the material.

ii. Dimensional stability;

Timber withstands humidity with less structural change than other building materials. If well

protected and well installed, timber can last for centuries with minimum maintenance (Sturges, 1991).

iii. resistance to wood-destroying organisms;

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Some species are highly resistant to rot and to wood-destroying organisms. There are sealants and

protective finishes available improve its look and also protect it from destructive organisms such as

termite.

iv. acceptable fire performance

Timber is more fire resistant than bare steel, as charring forms an insulating layer that protects the

inner core of the material. Heavy timber construction is less prone to damage by short-term high

temperatures allowing for a longer period for evacuation in case of fire.

v. Cost effectiveness

The local availability of high-quality wood and the abundance of local millers in the

Nigerian setting make timber production less dependent on imported products. Prices are

relatively stable, since they are less influenced by the volatile foreign currency exchange

market. This gives timber a cost comparative advantage over other materials that have

high import content.

vi. Fast construction process:

Unlike concrete floors which require a curing period before achieving maximum

strength., timber floors do not require a curing period before you can achieve ultimate

strength. Construction process is therefore faster. This includes the finishing of walls

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 which can be painted immediately, unlike plastered walls which require several days to

dry

vii. Environmental Sustainability:

Renewability and Biodegradability are probably the most significant environmental

benefit of timber (Resource Assessment Commission, RAC, 1991).

The need for environmental sustainability cannot be over emphasized. Environmental

sustainability recognizes that human activity over time and the health of the environment

are interdependent and that environmental health has necessary social, political and

economic determinants. Timber has low manufacturing process energy and benign air

emissions (Townsend and Wagner, 2000). It is also an excellent insulator against hot or

cold weather

There are other things like density, texture, movement in response to moisture, and so on. These

properties, when fully understood, can enable timber and wood-based boards to be specified and used

in building construction without any major problems.

3.0.2. THE CHALLENGES OF TIMBER AS A SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION

METHOD

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We will be deceiving ourselves if we say Timber has no weakness because in actual reality all

building materials have their challenges. However, how these weaknesses are minimized relies

greatly on the subsisting level of knowledge, creativity and technological know-how of a particular

region. With the advancement in technology, scientists are studying new materials and creating new

applications and improving potentials of existing materials. Below are some of the challenges faced

by using timber as a building material.

i. Decay and Weathering. As a result of excess moisture, Timber decay can arise. This is

because fungi and other wood-decaying micro-organisms survive in these conditions. On

the other hand, weathering occurs as a result of chemical and light reactions (William,

1983).

These effects of weathering can be prevented through the application of coatings on the

surface of the timber. The choice of coating is dependent upon what is expected to be

achieved. Coatings are classified into two; there are those that form a thin layer or coating

on the surface of the timber while the second type provides protection through penetration

without leaving any coating. However, the protective benefits of all coatings also depend

on proper maintenance of the coating. No coating will last indefinitely and all need to be

periodically reapplied.

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ii. Weak Fire resistance: The greatest challenge of wood as a structural material has been

fire. Studies have shown that wood as a building material is the only material that insulates

itself after the initial charring.

Studies have shown that when timber burns, it gets momentarily protected by its own

charring, which creates an insulating charcoal layer that reduces the speed of spread of

fire. This means that a timber structure, if well designed, will remain capable of carrying

the load it has been designed for, even when exposed to fire for a reasonable time for

evacuation. However, the best control in timber building as with other buildings is

prevention in the first place and the use of fire rated timber in places that are susceptible

to fire outbreak.

3.0.3. THE SUSTAINABILITY OF TIMBER AS A CONSTRUCTION METHOD.

Timber can be regarded as a renewable material – it is environmentally friendly,

widely available, abundant and through sustainable forest management it can be

replenished continuously, delivering a plentiful and dependable supply. In sustainable

forests the harvested tree is replaced by another tree, whether naturally grown

or planted. Extraction is thus compensated for, unlike in the case of most other

materials. Nearly one-third of the total land area of the planet is covered by forests,

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the source of timber. The production of timber is ecologically sound – trees

undertake the vital process of photosynthesis through which they absorb unhealthy

carbon dioxide from the environment and release oxygen which is healthy. From

a sustainability perspective, the role of forests is actually much wider. It is not just

about quantity, but also about the ecological quality; regardless of the sustainable

extraction of individual trees, the forest maintains its ecological functions relating

to biodiversity, climate and water cycles.

According to Okereke (2006), a sustainable material should possess the following

characteristics:

i. It should meet with the requirements as specified in National Standards; in terms

of durability and maintainability;

ii. It should be easily available and affordable, preferably locally;

iii. It should be environmentally friendly and should not constitute any health hazard.

iv. It should be versatile in usage, that is, it could be used for different

When Timber is compared with other building and construction materials, it is by far an

excellent most sustainable choice considering these characteristics. When compared with

other competitor materials such as concrete, aluminum, steel, plastic and glass, Wood is

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 the most efficient material, both in terms of embodied energy and environmental impacts,

as presented by (Jamal,2009)

Material Embodied Environmental impacts

Energy (GJ/m3) GWP (kg/m3) AP (kg/m3) POCP (kg/m3)

Aluminum 497 29 975.4 162 321.3

Bricks 5.4 342 3.6 30.6

Concrete 4.8 156 2.4 0.72

Glass 19.2 1365.6 96 4.8

Plaster board 4.5 238.5 2.7 1.8

Steel 200 17840 80 6720

Wood 1.65 63.8 0.55 0.5

Table 1. Energy and environmental performance of timber compared with other common construction

materials (Jamal, 2009)

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 . Environmental impacts are further measured on the basis of: global warming potential (GWP)

in kg CO2 equivalents; acidification potential (AP) in kg SO2 equivalents; and photochemical

ozone creation potential (POCP) in kg ethene equivalent. The versatile nature of wood draws

different materials as competitors: concrete and brick in general construction applications such

as walls, floors and roofs; steel, aluminum and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in windows; concrete

and steel in sheds; lino and vinyl in flooring products. In terms of environmental performance

and sustainability, wood outweighs all its competitors by a clear margin.

4.0. CONCLUSION

The unique characteristics and relative abundance of Timber have made it one of mankind’s most

valuable and useful natural resources. It has numerous uses and is recognized as an environmentally

friendly material. When compared with most other common building materials such as steel,

concrete, glass etc., it stands out as an efficient material. Thus, Timber is a sustainable construction

method or building material.

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International Seminar/ Workshop on Building Materials for Low-Cost Housing,

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Jamal M. Khatib (2009) Sustainability of construction materials Woodhead Publishing Limited, Abington

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Jim Coulson (2014) Sustainable Use of Wood in Construction John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Pg. 5

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