Barriers for Use of Wood in Architecture: The Latvian Case (original) (raw)
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Construction and Building Materials, 2018
The wood industries in Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina (BiH) and Macedonia have a long tradition of producing a wide range of products. BiH and Macedonia have similar forest sectors and both countries have experienced similar problems in the manufacturing, sale and use of wood-based products in recent years due to the global financial crisis and resulting national economic challenges. Despite having a long and prosperous history, over the past two decades, the wood products sectors in these four countries have faced a steady decline in profitability, the ability to add value through downstream manufacturing, and overall competitiveness. Engineered wood products (EWPs) are structural building materials that have been used since the early 1980s as replacements for, or in conjunction with, concrete and steel. In this study, we compare architect attitudes, awareness and preferences regarding the use of EWPs between these four countries. The study is based on a sample of 373 architects using on-line surveys. Results suggest that there is a positive perception regarding the use of wood in general in all countries, with the majority of respondents believing that wood use will increase in the future. However, specific to EWPs, differences were found in familiarity and knowledge of potential applications in timber-based construction. Results provide indicators of knowledge gaps between respondents and, conversely, where awareness and willingness to use EWPs exist. These findings can have implications for market opportunities, identifying barriers to EWPs adoption, and content for workshops, seminars, and other outreach mechanisms for architects.
ATTITUDES OF ACTIVE AND UPCOMING ARCHITECTS TOWARDS WOOD: THE CASE STUDY IN SLOVAKIA
The attitudes of architects towards wood as a construction material are presented in the paper. Attitudes were surveyed, analysed and compared between two groups of architects: the sample of university students of architecture (upcoming architects) and the sample of active architects. A questionnaire survey was used to gather data. Based on the results, the fact that the upcoming architects perceive properties of wood more positively could be stated. The most of the active architects do not propose wood as a construction material and prefer substitute materials on a silicate base especially in cases of civil and industrial buildings. In Slovakia, mistrust continues to be found towards wooden constructions where fire resistance remains the most negatively perceived property of wood. It is followed by properties as durability of wood, and resistance to weather conditions.
Use of Wood in the Perspective of Upcoming Architects
200 copies III PREFACE WoodEMA, i.a. is an international association for economics and management in wood processing and furniture manufacturing establihsed in the year 2007, with members from 13 countries on 3 continents at the moment. Since one of the main goals of the association is to promote science and results of scientific and professional work of its members, Association decided to start issuing scientific books each year. Each scientific book will be dedicated to a different topic and it will be related to a different field of expertize of the Association and its members.
2008
The study presents information about Swedish engineers' and architects' main considerations in material selection. It describes the material selection process, including perceptions of wood compared to other materials, the influences of main stakeholders, and how wood construction relates to professional roles and career prospects. Issues related to knowledge about wood as a material, the position wood construction has in the Swedish education and recent developments in wood-based construction techniques are also highlighted. Finally, we present the needs architects and engineers have of wood suppliers. Our results are translated in a number of improvements to increase wood as a construction material in large-scale construction.
Use of wood frames from sustainable forestry instead of non-wood frames in multi-storey buildings can reduce primary energy use and carbon dioxide emissions in construction. However, construction actors might associate wood frames with weaknesses regarding e. g. sound proofing, combustibility and stability. Such perceptions along with the tendency in the construction industry to use proven methods and materials may influence the actors' decision to adopt wood frames. In this study we assess architects' and structural engineers' perceptions of wood frames in multistorey buildings using a web-based questionnaire. Results indicate that most considered aspects when choosing frame material are project costs, fire safety, construction time, sound insulation and acoustics, and stability. Concrete was perceived as superior to steel and wood frames with regards to these aspects with the exception of costs and construction time, where wood and concrete frames were perceived as equal. The perceived general suitability of wood frames in buildings of three to eight floors was lower than of steel and concrete, however the interest in using wood frames was large.
Citizen views on wood as a construction material: results from seven European countries
Canadian Journal of Forest Research, 2021
Multi-story wooden buildings are hailed as a favorable means toward reducing the embodied energy of the construction sector. However, the sector’s path-dependent nature hinders acceptance of using wood in multi-story construction. As a result, research predominantly focuses on examining the perceptions of construction professionals to identify means of breaking the path dependency. We propose using citizens’ perceptions about the use of wood to inform professional decision makers. Our research thus aims to answer two questions: What are citizens’ perceptions about using wood as a construction material, and are there country-based cultural differences between these perceptions? To elicit this spectrum of citizen views, an online survey was deployed in Austria, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze 6633 open-ended responses to the survey. Respondents held multi-faceted opinions about the physical properties,...
Swedish architects view of engineered wood products in buildings
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2018
From a climate perspective, it could be advantageous to increase the use of wood products in buildings, but the use of sawn timber and engineered wood products (EWPs) in multi-storey buildings above two floors are a relatively new business (in Sweden since 1995) and there is a risk that wood as construction material is met with low awareness and high uncertainty by the construction sector. The purpose of this study was twofold: 1) to learn Swedish architects' views of using EWPs in buildings, and 2) to identify parameters that positively influence the likelihood that EWPs will be selected to a greater extent and the relative importance of those parameters. A survey was sent out to Swedish architects and 67 answers were received. The result indicates that architects in Sweden have a positive attitude towards EWPs in general and that the majority think that they will probably increase their use of these materials. Low impact on the environment, aesthetic appeal, and fast construction were the most common reasons stated for selecting EWPs. The Swedish architects have in general a moderate impact on the selection of materials, and the most common reason for not selecting EWPs was that other decision makers involved in the building projects prefer other materials. A lack of knowledge and information as well as uncertainties regarding the quality over time were other common reasons for not selecting EWPs. It was found that architects who had participated in building projects where EWPs had been chosen due to their low environmental impact and/or aesthetic appearance were more likely to state that they will increase their use of EWPs. The results also show that influence on material selection, knowledge of EWPs, experience of the use of EWPs, and the architect's own attitude to the use of EWPs affect the likelihood of an increased use.
Engineered Wood Products for Construction [Working Title], 2021
Increased use of engineered wood products (EWPs) and thus decreasing share of non-biobased materials such as concrete reduces the impact of buildings on the climate by mitigating the primary energy use and greenhouse gas emissions in construction. A construction project includes many parameters, where the selection of construction material is one of the crucial decisions with its numerous criteria e.g. cost, strength, environmental impact. Furthermore, this complicated process includes different parties such as architects, engineers, contractors. Architects are among the key decision-makers in material selection, and their perceptions influence what they propose and hence an increase in wood construction. In literature, many studies have been conducted on the technological, ecological, economic aspects of EWPs, while limited studies are focusing on EWPs for construction from stakeholders’ perspective. In this chapter, architects’ attitudes towards the use of EWPs in buildings were s...
WOOD AS A FEASIBLE SOLUTION FOR HOUSING
Proc. of Int. Symposium Timber Structures from Antiquity to the Present, 2009
Steady growth in accumulating materials is creating troubles in the cities. It would be possible to reduce pollution and ecological damage by requiring manufacturing to use environmentally friendly construction materials, by efficient use of energy in buildings, and by better managing and recycling of construction waste. These considerations would facilitate the extended use of renewable energy, environmentally-friendly construction materials as well as the use of alternative construction technologies. In industrially developed countries with a high urbanization rate, the annual rate of new construction and the buildings scheduled for demolition or repair is relatively low. Therefore, in the developed world, the opportunities for new approaches are relatively limited and the positive effects of the improvements will only occur in the long-term. On the other hand, due to their fast expansion and alteration processes, in developing countries new construction methods could be applied more widely and produce a significant impact, positive or negative, in the short-term. Thus, it can be concluded that strategies for sustainability can more effectively be used in developing countries. Wood, as a renewable raw material, is considered to have a significant potential from ecological point of view. In Europe, increasing attempts have been made for use of wood as building material especially for multi-story housing structures. In light of the above, the present work constitutes an attempt to explore relevant social, economic, ecological and technological aspects of a sustainable housing sector, so that we can shape the requirements of today’s building construction worldwide in general and specifically for a newly industrializing country. Turkey is selected for this purpose because it is a rapidly growing, urbanizing and highly populated country close to the EU. In our work, when searching for the housing stock and production structure, we found out that the weak points of the sector mainly originated from state policies and the production methods. It is important to emphasize that state policy related factors cannot be directly influenced by architectural or civil engineering works. Interdisciplinary studies are required for effective solutions. Therefore, we can only make recommendations for solving such issues at the state policy level. High quality urban development cannot be achieved without well developed financing strategies and a good framework of high standards. In order to apply this policy, inspection controls should be assigned top priority because under current technology and conditions, it is not possible to practice the sufficient level of control. Problems stemming from the production phase could be handled by architectural and civil-engineering applications through material and technology choices. Use of renewable materials combined with alternative construction processes may give efficient solutions. Those methods and applications should meet sustainability requirements as valid applications in the long-term. Following the findings of above approach, Turkey is taken as a case-study using a practical methodology in order to identify and demonstrate the validity and applicability of wood technologies in the housing sector. This work aims at constructing a hypothetical prototype by using a modular construction method that would constitute a suitable development path and solution for structural problems. The findings of our work which is obtained by using the price comparison of raw materials with a project case study, can be summarized as; “In Turkey, under certain conditions wood-based building technologies would be competitive alternatives to the current, conventional construction methods”. But prior to the publication of these findings, it will be necessary to test them in the field through a pilot project.