Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF RIZAL SYSTEM

Antipolo City
A.Y. 2019 – 2020

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Assignment/Individual Research No. 02

Timber in Construction

In partial fulfillment of the requirements in

CE 16: Timber Design

Presented by:

James Bryan G. Soliman

Student No.: 1011500193

Submitted to:

George Prejula Palada, RCE

Instructor

30 August 2019
1. Discuss the timber construction in the Philippines and around the world.

The construction industry just like many other industries has changed and
evolved with time. The construction industry is a sector of an economy which constructs, alter,
repairs, and demolish the buildings, civil engineering works, and other similar structures.
Today, construction industry is considered one of the most booming industries in the whole
world. And one of the reasons that made construction industry popular today is because of
woods or timber.

Trees, and their derivative products, have been used by societies both local
and international. One of its thousands of uses is in construction industry. Right from the
dawn of man, wood was used as a construction material to build structures for shelter. Man
had to seek protection from predators and harsh weather conditions using protective cover
that usually comprised of dugouts, caves, reeds, twigs, wood, mud, stone and snow.
(Guilhemjouan, 2013)

Timber is ranked as the world’s most ecofriendly building solution. It is not

toxic and the chemical vapor is not leaked in the buildings. It ages naturally and is not
degraded into toxic products that is environmentally damaging. In addition, timber is
renewable as it continually grown in plantations and forests. Because of the wood’s or timber’s
properties that made it popular in construction industry, it opened a lot of opportunities,
especially in terms of carpentry. Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary
work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials such as timber
and woods.

Locally, according to International Tropical Timber Organization (2005),

Philippines have lost a substantial part of its natural forest, and timber production has declined
dramatically over the last three decades. Many of the problems associated with the large-scale
destruction of the forest resource can be linked to a combination of land and
concession tenure issues, and the lack of ability or will to enforce the conditions of the
concessions. Moreover, many of the rural poor did not have land tenure and often settled
illegally on forest land. Considerable efforts have recently been put into the development of
community forestry, but the success of this approach in restoring the country's degraded
landscapes, particularly on steep slopes, and in increasing rural incomes, remains to be
proven. In spite of these negative reasons to not use timber, some options are implanted
how to get timber for construction legally.
 And internationally, the timber construction on other countries according to
Jimmy Stamp of Smithsonian Magazine (October 2016), from the street, the new seven-story
―T3‖ building going up in Minneapolis looks a lot like an old warehouse: large repeating
windows and weathered steel sheathing the color of brick. But it’s a revolutionary structure,
and the
irony is that its cutting-edge nature rests on an old-school material: wood. When T3 opens
this month, it will be the tallest modern wooden building in the United States. And to hear
the architect behind the tower tell it, T3 is the future of urban construction. The timber used
to make T3 is a far cry from the pine two-by-fours used to build houses.

Like any other industries, construction industry especially the timber industry
in both local and international levels has its own ups and down, and highs and lows in different
aspects of a particular country such as its economy. Construction Industry plays a big role in
a country’s economy for it is one of the most known industry of all time. Hence, sustaining
the construction industry especially the timber industry here in Philippines and around the
world can result and make a country known for its good, sustainable and quality approved
works.
2. Why timber is a better construction material than concrete or steel?

A construction material, as the name suggests, is any material that is used for
construction. Various raw substances such as clay, sand, wood, rocks, and twigs have been
utilized for building. Deciding the perfect construction material based on the structure’s
purpose is on high importance. Timber, concrete and steel are considered as the top
construction materials for both naturally-occurring and manmade construction materials.

For the centuries that have passed, choosing the best construction material is
still ongoing and on process. Different opinions, reasons, and judgements have been debating
towards this issue as what is really the best construction material out of these three (timber
vs. concrete vs. steel). But why is it that timber is better than steel and concrete? Well, brace
yourselves cause a long list of reasons is about to explain why.

(1) Timber or wood offers superior insulation, low CO2 emissions and great
sustainability when compared to other materials, such as steel and concrete. (2) Also, one of
the great advantages of timber, is its speed of construction. Houses with all masonry walls
require a longer period for mortar and plaster on the inside to dry out, so this can extend the
build time by several weeks. (3) Although cost will vary depending on the scale of a project
and where it is sourced, you can easily think that timber is a lot cheaper than steel-framed
buildings. And also, timber constructions are far more durable and require less maintenance
so costs are saved in the long run. (4) Technically we can say steel and concrete are stronger
and lighter than timber, but timber can undertake various treatments to improve its strength
that makes it from natural-occurring material to manmade strength material. (5) Also,
considering the fact that we already experienced shortage of gravel in the recent months here
in the Philippines, such shortage will continue to come in the following years that will affect
the gravel’s sustainability. In addition, considering the cement industry is one of the largest
carbon dioxide (CO2) emitters, generating approximately 8 percent of global emissions. That
made wood and timber a better choice over concrete. (6) And also, timber is highly praised
for being environmentally-friendly and a renewable resource compared to steel and concrete
that requires processes before it can use as an effective construction material. (7) And lastly,
if you’re an interior aesthetic design enthusiast, you can say that timber is much better to use
in construction than concrete and steel because it will give the appreciator of the design a
cool and refreshing vibe that is trendy nowadays.
 Here are just some of the reasons why timber is better than steel, and concrete.
I’m sure there are tons of reasons out there aside from what I have stated above. But above
all, people especially those who will work in construction industry must always consider a
structure’s safety over its other aspects such as its appearance, because yes aesthetics can
satisfy the eye, but if we disregard the safety of the structure, it will be useless.
3. Why timber is unsuitable construction material?

Suitability of construction materials plays a big role on a structure’s strength

and service life. Hence, choosing the best construction materials must be primarily considered.
Despite thousands of advantages of using timber as a construction material, disadvantages of
using it will not be avoided. Below are some of the reasons why timber is unsuitable to use
as a construction material.

(1) Timber shrinks, swells, twists, cracks and bends over time and in different
climatic conditions. Most timbers are prone to pest, rot, mold and fungi attacks, some are
far better than others but they both require a minimum of LOSP or ACQ treatments for
outdoor structures. (2) And also, according to Sam Kellenberg, there are some types of wood
that are coupled with different types of wood treatments to have greatly enhanced the general
durability of it, but still, there are many applications in construction for which wood is
unsuitable because of durability issues. (3) Also, we need to consider the cost of using timber
as a construction material over steel and concrete. Technically, using timber in markets is
much expensive rather than using steel or concrete as a construction material. (4) Also, we
need to consider the outcomes of using timber as a construction material in our environment.
Nowadays, climate change, typhoons, thinning of ozone layer, air pollution, green house
effects and so on and so forth is being experienced by our environment, thus, lessening the
counts of trees by cutting woods may worsen these issues that our mother nature is
experiencing right now. That’s why I think if you do not replace or plant trees with the
exchange of you cutting trees to use as a timber, then that is the time that using timber is
unsuitable because of its environmental outcomes. (5) Also, we need to consider the timber’s
sustainability as a construction material. Although timber is a natural occurring and renewable
material, the range of time that a tree is ready to be cut down is too long that made its
sustainability as a construction material affects its suitability in construction. (6) Also,
considering that woods are light materials, it is prone to be damaged to fire, typhoons,
earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones, tsunamis and so on, making it as a construction material
that is less suitable in construction for it gives a structure a less service life unlike steel and
concrete wherein can withstand more. (7) Also, if you are considering to build a building with
three stories and above, using timber is not advisable for it is not designed to be a large
building’s construction material unless it underwent processes that will made it more durable,
safe and possible to use for large and tall structures.
 The list that I explained above are just some of the disadvantages of using
timber or wood as a construction material, though it is still used nowadays, people especially
those who will work in construction industry must take note and always put in mind that yes,
timber has good qualities that made it boomed in construction industry but they must never
set aside the outcomes that may occur due to timber’s disadvantages.
References:

Transparency Market Research (2018), Production of cross laminated timber in Europe and North
America
https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases

South Florida Lumber Company (2019), Timber vs Steel vs Concrete

https://www.southfloridalbr.com/timber-vs-steel-vs-concrete

International Tropical Timber Organization (2005), Status of Tropical Forest Management

2005
https://www.itto.int/sfm/2005/details/id=12440000

Chingay Labrador (December 13, 2017), Where to Source Legal Wood in the Philippines?
https://www.realliving.com.ph/home-improvement/building-renovating/where-tosource-
legal-wood-in-the-philippines-a53-20171213

Jimmy Stamp (October 2016), Is Timber the Future of Urban Construction?

https://www.manilatimes.net/new-dawn-for-the-timber-industry/530855/

Freimans (July 5, 2015), Metal vs Timber – Why in construction it is better to use timber
trusses,
https://freimans.com/metal-vs-timber-why-its-better-to-use-timber-trusses/

Landmark, Timber disadvantages become advantages (March 29, 2016),

https://www.landmarkpro.com.au/timber-disadvantages-become-advantages/

Sam Kellenberg (December 2003), The Disadvantages of Wood,

https://www.hunker.com/12003635/the-disadvantages-of-wood