Overview

Timber as a building material.
Timber has been used in building in most parts of the world for thousands of years. It is a natural, renewable and easy to use material.

Timber in environmentally sustainable development.
As society attains a higher environmental awareness, the significant impacts of buildings and building materials are being reassessed. Timber’s good environmental performance Is being analysed in detail.

The Greenhouse Effect.
Greenhouse gases are a natural part of the atmosphere. However, human activities are increasing the concentrations of these gases, creating the prospect of global climate change.

Building produces significant Greenhouse gas emissions.
The construction and operation of Australian buildings produced about 19.5 % of national Greenhouse gas emissions in 1990.

Timber and trees reducing the Greenhouse Effect
Trees and timber used in long life application serve as a store for carbon and contributes to reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases.

Forests and the Kyoto Protocol Targets
The role of trees as a store for carbon for has been recognised in the Kyoto Protocol

Environmental Rating Methods

Measuring the environmental impact of Buildings and Building Materials.
Assessment of the environmental impact of buildings and building materials is complex and application of these tools requires specialist knowledge.

National Australian Building Environmental Rating System (NABERS)
The Australian Building Environmental Rating System is designed to rate the environmental impact of buildings.

Life cycle assessment of timber

Assessing the Environmental Impact of Building Materials
The “material life cycle” is the most effective way of assessing the environmental impact of various building materials.

Stage 1: Environmental Impact from Harvesting Timber
The first stage of the life cycle of timber is the procurement of the raw materials

Stage 2: Environmental Impact from Timber in Manufacture
The second stage of the life cycle of timber is the manufacture of building materials.

Stage 3: Environmental Impact from Timber in Construction
The third stage of the life cycle of timber is the on site construction of the building

Stage 4: Environmental Impact from Living in the Timber Building
The fourth stage of the life cycle of timber is the occupancy of the building.

Stage 5: Environmental Impact from Timber in recycling, reuse and disposal
The final stage of the life cycle of timber marks the end of the life of the building and the recycling, reuse and disposal of the building materials.

Embodied energy

The energy consumed to manufacture building products
There needs to be a focus on both operational and embodied energy to conserve resources and reduce Greenhouse gas emissions.

Embodied Energy of Timber
Timber requires significantly less energy to produce than other major building materials, such as bricks, steel and aluminium.

Construction for environmental performance

Design Guide - Environmentally Friendly Housing Using Timber – Principles
Building environmentally friendly housing requires consideration of a wide range of factors, from the orientation of the house to the material and insulation used.

Manual - R - Values for Timber Framed Building Elements
An R-value is the measure used to compare the insulation value of building assemblies. This manual give the R-values for commonly used combinations and arrangements in timber framed building.

Sustainable building projects

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