Building for the Future
Barbara Fischer-Clark of Stommel Haus Agency for the UK & Ireland talks about the eco and sustainability benefits of choosing a timber home.
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the reputation of timber buildings. However, over hundreds of years timber has been used to build quality homes and buildings which are still standing strong centuries later, shown by the many examples of very old timber buildings in Switzerland, Germany, Scandinavia, Turkey and Japan, some of which were built hundreds of years ago. The most well known example of an ancient timber structure is the 1300 year old temple complex of Nara.
themselves in applying state-of-the-art production methods in a sheltered and secure environment of a factory using top quality timber harvested in certified and sustainable forests. Thanks to modern technology, certified and monitored manufacturing and construction methods, timber buildings today offer incomparable constructional and design potential of a high quality. Premium timber house manufacturers today are providing the listed buildings of tomorrow.
Ecology and Sustainability
truly renewable building material. Its sustainability is unsurpassed: • Timber is grown quicker than it is used by most of the main timber supplying countries which have long-standing policies to re-grow more timber than is felled. For instance Germany has an annual timber growth of 80 million cubic metres with an annual use of 50 million cubic metres.
Timber is ecological and sustainable and a
How Times Have Changed! Timber house manufacturers today pride
ouses built of timber were considered a temporary solution in the mid 20th century when quick housing was required after WWII. Cheaply and quickly built, they spoilt
• The 1992 environment symposium in Rio de Janeiro declared the concept of “sustainable development” as an international standard. Since then certifications for forestry and timber trading, such as PEFC and FCS, have been introduced and are strictly followed by the suppliers delivering to the premium manufacturers.
• Good quality timber homes use constructive wood protection; the timber is devoid of any chemical treatment adhering to the extensive standards and guidelines for non-toxic wood protection.
CO2 Reduction
• Good quality timber homes achieve top energy efficiency levels in the Code for Sustainable Homes. This is due to the outstanding insulation quality and heat retention of a timber building. Furthermore, to achieve human wellbeing the high surface temperature of wood allows for 2°C less air temperature in a timber house compared to a traditional house.
• Wood is a building material with a positive CO2
during the build. Wood uses solar energy to grow and stores vast amounts of carbon dioxide during photosynthesis. A cubic metre of timber thus locks away around one ton of the harmful greenhouse gas. At least another ton is saved when using wood instead of other building materials some of which require a lot of fossil energy and release CO2 during production.
Unrivalled Properties of Timber Living and working in a timber building means being in a pleasant and healthy environment. Besides its sustainability, timber has unique
balance and requires less primary energy Timber homes reduce CO2 in several ways:
properties that no other building material can rival. These benefits are: • Timber is diffusible and hygroscopic. • It filters the air and thus provides a fresh and healthy climate in a building. • It has humidity regulating properties which have positive effects on the atmospheric conditions of a room. • Timber is more hygienic than other materials; scientists have proven that bacteria survives longer on artificial materials than on timber. • Timber has exceptional insulation qualities with a high surface temperature. • Timber absorbs sound and reduces electrostatic charge thus improving the atmosphere in a modern house. Timber is a good protection against electromagnetic radiation which can have negative effects on the human health.
• Timber buildings provided by good quality and certified manufacturers have a longevity which can compete with any brick or stone building • Timber is safe. Not only does it guarantee a better stability in earthquakes but it also offers good protection in the case of fire. Its fire resistance is comparable to conventional materials which are proven by independent assessors. The larger the cross section, the longer timber takes to burn through, as the carbon layer created by the fire protects the core of the timber.
Quality Contemporary Timber Houses Considering the relationship between people, material and the environment is of the utmost importance when building a home. Using timber as the main building material is the right choice as it has endless design possibilities, unrivalled physical and technical properties and provides great benefits when combined with clever planning, high precision and well monitored construction and high quality implementation. Premium manufacturers allow you to choose
• Timber smells good, looks good and feels good and thus has a positive effect on our wellbeing. Timber positively affects all human senses.
a pre-fabricated timber house designed for your own needs and matched to the plot where it will be erected. The house will be pre-fabricated in the sheltered environment of a factory where it can be produced to the highest accuracy using CNC equipment. This allows very quick assembly within a handful of working days with great benefits including being independent of the weather, less disturbance to the neighbours, no waste material on site and, the greatest benefit of all, on-time completion of the house.
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