The wood from the trees: The use of timber in construction

RENEWABLE & SUSTAINABLE ENERGY REVIEWS

卷:68

Review

Ramage, Michael H.¹  Burridge, Henry C.^2,6  Busse-Wicher, Marta³  Fereday, George^1,7  Reynolds, Thomas¹  Shah, Darshil U.¹  Wu, Guanglu⁴  Yu, Li³  Fleming, Patrick^1,8  Densley-Tingley, Danielle^5,9  Allwood, Julian⁵  Dupree, Paul³  Linden, P. F.²  Scherman, Oren⁵ 

[1] Univ Cambridge, Dept Architecture, 1-5 Scroope Terrace, Cambridge CB2 1PX, England

[2] Univ Cambridge, Ctr Math Sci, Dept Appl Math & Theoret Phys, Wilberforce Rd, Cambridge CB3 0WA, England

[3] Univ Cambridge, Dept Biochem, Bldg O,Downing Site, Cambridge CB2 1QW, England

[4] Univ Cambridge, Dept Chem, Lensfield Rd, Cambridge CB2 1EW, England

[5] Univ Cambridge, Dept Engn, Trumpington St, Cambridge CB2 1PZ, England

[6] Imperial Coll London, Dept Civil & Environm Engn, Skempton Bldg, London SW7 2AZ, England

[7] London Metropolitan Univ, CASS Sch Architecture, London E1 7PF, England

[8] Conzett Bronzini Partner AG, CH-7000 Chur, Switzerland

[9] Univ Sheffield, Dept Civil & Struct Engn, Mappin St, Sheffield S1 3JD, S Yorkshire, England

关键词: Wood cell biology;    Embodied energy;    Timber supply chain;    Engineered wood products;    Wood modification;    End-of-life;   

DOI  :  10.1016/j.rser.2016.09.107

来源: Elsevier

【 摘 要 】

Trees, and their derivative products, have been used by societies around the world for thousands of years. Contemporary construction of tall buildings from timber, in whole or in part, suggests a growing interest in the potential for building with wood at a scale not previously attainable. As wood is the only significant building material that is grown, we have a natural inclination that building in wood is good for the environment. But under what conditions is this really the case? The environmental benefits of using timber are not straightforward; although it is a natural product, a large amount of energy is used to dry and process it. Much of this can come from the biomass of the tree itself, but that requires investment in plant, which is not always possible in an industry that is widely distributed among many small producers. And what should we build with wood? Are skyscrapers in timber a good use of this natural resource, or are there other aspects of civil and structural engineering, or large-scale infrastructure, that would be a better use of wood? Here, we consider a holistic picture ranging in scale from the science of the cell wall to the engineering and global policies that could maximise forestry and timber construction as a boon to both people and the planet.

【 授权许可】

Free