At the beginning, I was astonished watching all of these quantities of timber being used in construction. In hot regions like the middle east, wood material areconsidered something expensive, luxurious and, therefore, not economically feasible forstructural uses. Concrete and steel have always been usedwhen it comes to constructing a structural skeleton, while; timber was only used in formwork and shoring.
Just landed in Ontario last summer; enjoying to stare at the beautiful wood buildings and attributing the plenty use of timber to the availability in Canada. Also, have noticed that concrete and asphalt are being recycled, in order to restore their aggregate components; which means this type of material costs more thanlumber.
Nevertheless, I do not believe that the high cost of concrete and the availability of wood arethe only reasons for the north american builders using lumber; as there is another major factor that should be taken into consideration. Concrete can not stand the severe weather and the wide range of temperature changes comparing to wood. It can be as low as -20 or -40 degrees during winter and, then becomes up to 30 and 32 in summer. Concrete structures will be out there; subjected to harmful cracks. Meanwhile, trees havealways been there for centuries with no negative effectsat all.
Wood, also, has lighter dead load, more structural section flexibility, considerable thermal insulation properties, and many other advantages that promotes its use, comparing to concrete; which is only used in foundation walls and footings. When it comes to building a lumber dwelling, constructorsdo not need that time to form, place and cure concrete elements; just assemble what you get from the lumber and trusses supplier in couple of weeks.
Maintenance of buildings is not an issue in north america as local regulations provide reliable guarantee; while obtainingpermits, during construction and after occupancy. Furthermore, repair and restorationis available with lower cost comparing to the same in concrete ones.
