Republic of the Philippines

UNIVERSITY OF RIZAL SYSTEM

Antipolo City
A.Y. 2019 – 2020

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Assignment/Individual Research No. 2

Timber in Construction

In partial fulfilment of the requirements in

CE 16: Timber Design

Presented by:

Chris Ohlliver Quimque Cuizon

Student No.: 1011500099

Submitted to:

George Prejula Palada, RCE

Instructor

30 August 2019
1. Using a minimum of 500 words, discuss the timber construction industry in
the Philippines and around the world.
Wood or timber has played an important role in the history of
civilization. Humans used this versatile material for building structures, fuel, shelters,
furniture, tools, papers, weapons, and more. In terms of history in construction
industry, woods has been used as a building material next to stone. The physical,
chemical, and mechanical properties of wood are inherently composite, but despite
of this challenge, humans have successfully harnessed the unique characteristics of
wood to build various types of structures and produce derivative wood products.
Timber has traditionally been classified into two types: hardwood and
softwood. Hardwoods are commonly used in the construction of walls, ceilings and
floors, while softwood are often used to make doors, furniture and window frames.
Another type of wood commonly used in construction is known as engineered wood
or mass timber. Engineered wood was developed in 1960s. It is the product which
are undergone fabrication process which the strands, fibers, or veneers of wood are
bonded together with adhesives to form a type of composite material that is used for
specific construction applications. Engineered wood includes plywood, glulam, fiber
board and cross-laminated timbers (CLT).
There are three types of timber structures: timber frame, timber
skeleton and solid timber. Timber frame is a traditional method of building,
particularly in North America, creating structures using squared-off and carefully
fitted and joined timbers with joints secured by large wooden pegs. Timber skeleton
has developed from timber frames. It is composed of beams and columns, placed at
different distances. This allows a freer configuration of the facades and walls of
partition. The structures of solid timber are divided into two categories: those with
walls made of solid circular wood beams and those with walls of solid panels nailed
or glued. The walls are usually insulated, and on the one hand, and enclosed with a
panel, but it is possible also an embodiment without finishes, with visible structures.
In construction industry, timber is often chosen for it is versatile,
lightweight, cost-efficient, natural and visual appealing. However, despite of these
advantages, the richness and importance to people, there are implementing rules
and regulations in extracting timbers in different countries due to unsustainable
timber extraction. Aside from natural causes (fires, hurricanes and floods),
unsustainable timber extraction is one of the major causes of deforestation, which is
a great challenge today. According to Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO of
UN), every year, about 13 million hectares of forest are converted to other land uses,
which lead to biodiversity losses, soil erosion, and massive emissions of carbon
dioxide. At the same time, the demand of timber is rapidly increasing and wood-
based industries are also affected, increasing the cost of wood-based products. Food
and Agriculture Organization (FAO of UN) projections on 2009, mentioned an annual
worldwide increase of 1.5% of sawn wood consumption and 3.3% of wood-based
panels. Some findings from FAO show that reforestation efforts of the national
governments, combined with private sectors are not enough to arrest rapid
deforestation.
In the Philippines, wood industry is quite vibrant in Mindanao,
especially in CARAGA Region, which is considered as the leading producer of timber
and dubbed the “Timber Capital” of the country. CARAGA covers more than 684,000
hectares of forest lands in Agusan (Del Norte and Del Sur) and Surigao (Del Norte
and Del Sur). Last year, President Duterte ordered to stop the logging activities in
the Zamboanga Peninsula after he was briefed about the massive deforestation
there, reinforced by the Executive Order No.23
Widespread poverty, landlessness and unsustainable timber extraction
also causes deforestation in the Philippines because forests are rich source of wood
(including Narra, Kamagong, Philippine Teak, Almaciga and Akle, which are native
and yet endangered), food and other resources, which are very attractive to those
desperate for business and survival. Due to these instances, prompted by landslide in
southern Philippines in January 2011, on February 2011, Former President Noynoy
Aquino III issued Executive Order No. 23 (Declaring a Moratorium on the Cutting and
Harvesting of Timber in the National and Residual Forests and Creating The Anti-
Illegal Logging Task Force) to impose a total log ban in the country. Thus, the local
sources of the timber construction industry and other wood-based industries are now
totally dependent on the timber from plantations. However, the government still
allows the importation of timbers and lumbers from other countries to address
domestic wood requirements, which is risen by at least 30 per cent. That is why
some timber markets here in the Philippines are high-priced.
2. Using a minimum of 500 words, explain why timber is a better construction
material than concrete or steel.

Timber carries several benefits that make it an excellent candidate for

use in a wide array of construction projects. At a time when environmental concerns
are extremely high, the trend has been to move away from wood as a building
material in order to prevent deforestation, in part as an attempt to manage
greenhouse gases. However, a closer look at the reasons for this thinking can prove
to be slightly off track. Timber has several advantages that help both the builder and
the environment.

One such benefit is its thermal properties, which give it an advantage

in terms of its resistance to high temperatures. Unlike steel, which can expand or
even collapse in high temperature, timber actually dries out and becomes stronger as
the heat increases. In addition, the heat conductivity of timber is relatively low in
comparison to other materials such as concrete or steel. This gives timber an
advantage in terms of being used in various applications such as hardware
equipment handles, wall coverings, and ceilings.

Timber also contains highly-sought-after acoustic properties. It can

absorb sound and echoes, and is a favorite material of choice for the construction of
structures where proper acoustics is important, such as concert halls and opera
houses. Timber is resistant to electrical currents, making it an optimal material for
electrical insulation. Another important characteristic of wood is its tensile strength,
which is its ability to bend under pressure without breaking. Timber is exceptionally
light in proportion to its tensile strength, making it the preferred construction choice
for surfaces that take a constant beating such as basketball courts and bowling
lanes. Tensile strength is also one of the main reasons for choosing timber as a
building material; its remarkably strong qualities make it the perfect choice for
heavy-duty building materials such as structural beams.

The life cycle of timber has a lower overall impact on the environment
than concrete and steel as a result also costs significantly less to produce.
Wastewater production and environmental impact are also significantly lower in
wood manufacturing processes, particularly when compared to steel.
 As a natural building material, timber emits significantly lower volatile
organic compounds (VOC) and carbon dioxide off-gases than concrete and steel. This
is not; however, necessarily true of engineered wood products or composite wood
products. Timber’s lower VOC impact is of particular benefit to homes and offices
that are occupied on a daily basis. In fact, one of the things timber does give off is a
natural organic compound that relaxes people–it’s not just the warmth of timber’s
color that creates such an inviting effect.

Unlike concrete or steel, timber is a renewable building material. It

can be grown and regrown through natural processes and also through replanting
and forestry management programs. Select harvesting and other practices allow
growth to continue while larger trees are harvested. While the forests are growing
(via solar energy), they are also naturally and efficiently removing carbon dioxide
from the environment. It’s a unique characteristic to wood.

Of the many construction materials that a person can choose from,

wood stands out as a unique and amazingly versatile product. Its aesthetic appeal,
tensile strength, insulation qualities, and ease of fabrication enable it to remain a
favorite choice for use in an extensive array of construction applications.

For me, it has clearly stated above that timber is a better preferred
construction material over concrete and steel for its advantages considering the time,
cost, operational cost, maintenance, sustainability, productivity, environment and its
properties.
3. Using a minimum of 500 words, explain why timber is an unsuitable
construction material.

Timber is a renewable raw material. It is a very safe to handle, non-

toxic and does not break down into environmentally damaging materials, but there
are some disadvantages to consider that timber is not suitable construction material.
Timbers are deteriorative materials. Forces causing deterioration of timbers has
classified into two categories: biotic and abiotic forces.

Biotic forces include decay and mold fungi, bacteria and insects.
Timbers are organic materials. Like any organic good, timber is a nutritional product
for some plants and animals. If they are not maintained, external timbers can rot
and infest over time. Fungi and insects can digest cellulose and the other fiber
ingredients of timber, which can cause the wood to decay partially and even
completely. Moisture is also a disadvantage of timber. Fiber saturation is an
important benchmark for both shrinkage and for decay. Since timbers are
hygroscopic materials, timber fibers become saturate when it gains moisture content.
Timber can safely absorb large quantities of water before reaching moisture content
levels that will be inviting for decay fungi

Abiotic forces include sun, wind, moisture, sound and fire. Sunlight
can badly affect the timber. One component of sunlight is ultraviolet light, commonly
referred to as UV. UV light is responsible for most damage to exposed wood because
it changes or destroys the timber’s lignin, a component of wood that hardens and
strengthens the cell walls. Wood is a light material, so as such its sound insulation
performance is not particularly good. Neither does a thick, dense-surfaced and
smooth wooden structure dampen sound particularly well, so wood alone is not a
good absorption material. Another disadvantage of timber is that it easily catches
fire. Although masonry and steel frame structures can fail if subject to sustained high
temperatures, timber consists of organic compounds which are composed mainly of
carbon and hydrogen. They can combine with oxygen and burns. Because of these
properties, timber is classified as a combustible material. Timbers cannot withstand
high-wind calamities (cyclones and hurricanes). Since it is a lightweight material,
timbers can easily be pound by the strong winds.

Timbers can be cheap and expensive. It depends on the demand and

the difficulty of getting it to you. Cost is also a disadvantage in timber construction
industry, especially in cost of hardwoods in the market. Hardwoods come from
deciduous or broad-leafed trees. They are generally slow growing which tends to
make them harder and more expensive. Hardwoods grow slower than softwoods so
they are more expensive. Transportation of timbers to urban areas can be expensive.

If timber were sustainable and replaceable, timber structures can be

maintained due to any harmful phenomena, thus, this kind of structure can last
longer, so why do we bother on those disadvantages? Sustainable timber refers to
timber that has been harvested responsibly. This means more than just replacing
trees as they are harvested – it also involves ensuring that there is no ecological
damage to the surrounding environment or its native flora and fauna. Today, there
are great environmental impacts (including deforestation and climate change) caused
by illegal and unsustainable timber extraction. For me, I don’t prefer timber in
construction from now until the forestry will restore in the near future because we
have to consider the optimization processes of designing structures and billing of
materials since timbers are expensive, and also, due to implementing rules and
regulations on extracting woods.