Sustainability and Applications of a Timber as Structural Material: A Review

Abstract

Sustainability of building structure must be environmentally stable, easy in usage, and handling or durable. This study considers that wood is an important building material. The main advantage of wood in construction is its strength, environmentally friendly, simple handling, and ease of use in construction. Trees, and their derivative products, have been used by people around the world for thousands of years. Wood was perceived as an appropriate building material. Timber or woodwork requires a well-skilled or professional worker. Wood, the only truly sustainable construction material should play a vital role in a future application. Timber is a high performance or speedy construction material. The advantage of wood as a sustainable building material is the increased use of wood in a built-up environment. Timber is a renewable material and requires less energy and it has been mostly used for building all over the world for many years. Timber should be considered as one of the best building materials, as it could be used in all climatic zones. Timber should be sustainable in many ways: like a tree, it contributes to mitigating the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Timber building has the main advantage of storing carbon and efficient use of wood is important to ensure sustainable construction with wood.

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Sustainability and Applications of a Timber as Structural Material: A
Review
Ajay Kumar1, Bhaskar Dhiman2, Devinder Sharma3
1Lecturer, Civil Engg, Abhilashi University, Chail-Chowk, Mandi, H.P., India
2Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engg., Abhilashi University, Chail-Chowk, Mandi, H.P., India
3Associate Professor, Civil Engg., Abhilashi University, Chail-Chowk, Mandi, H.P., India
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Abstract – Sustainability of building structure must be
environmentally stable, easy in usage, and handling or
durable. This study considers that wood is an important
building material. The main advantage of wood in
construction is its strength, environmentally friendly, simple
handling, and ease of use in construction. Trees, and their
derivative products, have been used by people around the
world for thousands of years. Wood was perceived as an
appropriate building material. Timber or woodwork requires
a well-skilled or professional worker. Wood, the only truly
sustainable construction material should play a vital role in a
future application. Timber is a high performance or speedy
construction material. The advantage of wood as a sustainable
building material is the increased use of wood in a built-up
environment. Timber is a renewable material and requires less
energy and it has been mostly used for building all over the
world for many years. Timber should be considered as one of
the best building materials, as it could be used in all climatic
zones. Timber should be sustainable in many ways: like a tree,
it contributes to mitigating the level of carbon dioxide in the
atmosphere. Timber building has the main advantage of
storing carbon and efficient use of wood is important to ensure
sustainable construction with wood.
Key Words: Timber, Structural Material, Sustainability of
Timber, Building Material, Qualities of Timber.
1. INTRODUCTION
Timber is considered as one of the most sustainable
materials requires less energy than most material to process
into finished products. Timber logging, manufacture,
transport, and disposal of timber products have substantial
environmental impacts. Sustainable timber refers to timber
that has been harvested responsibly from well-managed
forests that are continuously replenished, and ensure that
there is no damage to the surrounding environment. Timber
can be used for construction have good compressive
strength, however, it is strongest in tension. Moreover, there
are many varieties of timber that can be used for
construction, such as plywood, particleboard, fireboard, and
engineered product. Timber is also recommended due to its
quality of environment sustainability, physical and aesthetic
qualities, workability and flexibility of space arrangement,
dry construction, industrial production, and comparative
cost-effectiveness. Sustainable wood comes from sustainably
managed forests. As a raw building material, wood merits
are extensive and wood creates far less carbon dioxide
emissions than competing building products, and the
sustainability movement and green building initiatives.
Treated wood preserves wood against termite attack and
fungi decay.
1.1 Qualities of Timber as a Building Material
The qualities of timber as a building material include
availability, physical and aesthetic qualities, workability,
environmental sustainability, the flexibility of space
arrangement, dry construction.
a. Availability- Timber is locally available in India and also
it can be purchased from local suppliers and transported
to the construction site using small vehicle trucks,
tractors. Timber is accepted as an attractive and elegant
building material in most cultures in most of India timber
houses can be constructed in many areas the best
advantages of timber houses is warm in winter.
b. Physical and Aesthetic Qualities- Timber has a high
strength to weight ratio making it an attractive framing
material. Some species are highly resistant to rot. Timber
withstands humidity with less structural change than
other building materials. It is very durable and enhances
the natural beauty of the materials.
c. Workability- Timber can be easily shaped and cut by
simple hand tools and chiseled. There are many design
options possible with wood i.e. wood can be framed or
shaped in many ways. Wood can be of flexible material
and can be easily shaped in many directions. Bamboo can
be used in construction as scaffolding. Bamboo is a fast-
growing plant and easily available in all parts of India. In
some cases, bamboo can be used as a roofing material.
d. Environmental sustainability- The most significant
environmental benefit of timber is its renewability and
biodegradability. Timber is an excellent insulator against

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hot or cold weather. Timber should be environmentally
sustainable in many ways as if timber can be properly
preserved to decay and rot the life of timber structure
should be more.
e. The flexibility of space arrangement- Partition made
from timber can easily remove around to change the
layout in response to new functional requirements.
Timber can be flexible material easy to work and handling.
f. Dry construction-Timber construction should be faster
finishing is also faster, since the timber wall can be painted
immediately. Timber floors do not require a curing period
for achieving maximum
1.2 Classification of Trees
The word timber is derived from an old English word
“timbrian” which means to build. Timber or wood as a
building material possesses several valuable properties,
such as low heat conductivity, amenability to mechanical
working, low bulk density, and relatively high strength.
Trees can be classified into two types-
a. Endogenous-Plant grows by the addition of new
cells only at the tip or ends i.e., the trees grow
inwards and fibrous mass is seen in their
longitudinal section. Such trees show very little
branches. The timber from these trees has very
limited engineering applications. Examples of
endogenous trees are bamboo, cane, palm, etc.
b. Exogenous-These trees increase in bulk by growing
outwards and distinct consecutive rings are formed
in the horizontal section of such trees. These rings
are known as annual rings because one such ring is
added every year. Such trees grow bigger in
diameter as well. The timber, which is mostly used
for engineering purposes.
1.3 The exogenous trees classified as-
a) Conifers-The conifers are known as evergreen
trees. These trees bear cone-shaped fruits. These
trees yield softwoods, which are generally light in
color, resinous, light in weight, and weak.
b) Deciduous-They are also known as broadleaf trees.
The leaves of these trees fall in autumn and new
ones appear in spring. Timber for engineering work
is mostly derived from deciduous trees.
Trees can also be classified based on hardness in
the following categories.
a) Hardwood b) Softwood
The softwood forms a group of evergreen trees
while the hardwood forms a group of broadleaf
trees. Examples of softwoods are deodar, pine, and
other conifers. Hardwood includes sal, mahogany,
teak, oak, etc.
1.4 Application of Timber as A Sustainable
Building Material
Sustainable building material is the one that does not have
much negative impact on the environment. The use of
sustainable materials for constructing buildings is not a new
concept. The demand for environmentally friendly materials
is rapidly increasing. The smart cities are attempting to focus
on using materials that reduce the energy we use in
operating buildings while heating, cooling, and light. People
make us feel that wood is good for future generation and
development. Wood grows from the earth is 100%
renewable and extremely durable and equally strong.
Sustainable building material should have the following
characteristics-
a. To determine the qualities of timber as a building
material.
b. To analyze the sustainability of timber as a building
material.
c. Easily available and affordable to the users.
d. It should be environmentally stable and should not
create any health hazards.
e. Timber should be versatile in usage, that is, it could be
used for different purposes.
f. A well-seasoned timber should be durable and easy to
work..
2. OBJECTIVES
This paper aims at assessing the potentials of timber as a
building material and to determine its comparative
sustainability against other commonly used building
materials.
a) Investigate the qualities of timber as a building
material
b) Examine the challenges of timber as a building
material

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c) Investigate the sustainability of timber as a building
material
d) To advance the recommendation that will enhance
the sustainability of timber as a building material in
India.
3. LITERATURE REVIEW
Rosemary J. Kennedy et. al (2005) [1] described the use of
timber in residential construction and developed the system
for integrating timber products and aimed at a
contemporary, environmentally sustainable housing
approach for qualities of timber housing.
Ronald W. Anthony et. al (2005) [2] analyzed that wood
construction should have economic competitiveness and
must provide reliable service in the existing building and
prepared to know the next generation of engineers
comfortable with wood construction.
M. Frese et. Al (2006) [3] studied that failure occurred in a
timber structure due to the weight of snow and they
concluded that to build a database that contains relevant
data concerning the failure of timber structure and create
the basics for integral reflection.
Roos, A. et.al (2010) [4] influenced the properties of wood
and create the beliefs for the control and ease of building g in
a wood and no longer regulations are seen in timber
construction. They found material Preference among
architects and structural engineers are influenced by
attitudes regarding the properties of wood, normative
beliefs, and beliefs about the control and ease of building in
Wood.
Tom Kuhlman et.al (2010) [5] aimed more at exploring the
theoretical basis for defining sustainability than providing a
practical manual for measuring it. They suggested better to
use sociological insights to assign values to the different
aspects of well-being, and economics to combine those
values into an overall assessment.
Barbara L. Zimmermanet et. al (2012) [6] concluded
substantial and all points in one direction for the
sustainability of the timber. Their research is pointed to the
key components that how to increase the potential for
sustainable yields of high-value tropical timber.
Robert Gerard et.al (2013) [7] evaluated the current
knowledge of tall timber construction, identify gaps in
knowledge, and reflect on the gaps that, if fulfilled, and also
have provided a better understanding of the potential fire
safety performance of tall wood buildings. They collected
and summarizes resources in the literature to identify fire
safety challenges in tall timber structures.
D. Thomas et. al (2014) [8] studied the various innovations
in wood treatments, wood protection, and insulation have
provided solutions to these issues so that timber is once
again a viable option with added benefits such as
environmental sustainability and erection speed. They also
investigated the comparative performance of a timber
veneer/structural timber home to a concrete floor/brick
veneer home to evaluate whether the perception of timber
performance matches reality.
Hafner, Annette et.al (2014) [9] discussed various factors
on climate change used to focus on energy efficiency. They
focused on the sustainability of materials in better and
efficient ways. They found buildings have the specific
property of storing carbon temporarily in its material.
Abimaje J. et .al (2014) [10] assessed various building
materials for its sustainability using data from various
secondary sources. They established a new idea that a
sustainable building material must be environmentally
friendly, affordable, flexible in usage, and durable. They also
discussed various problems associated with the usage of
wood, such as attack by insects, fungi, fire, depletion of
natural resources, etc. and preventive measures.
Duncan Brack et.al (2014) [11] studied various policies
aimed at excluding illegal and unsustainable timber products
that have proved a valuable weapon in the armory of
consumer states committed to using their buying power to
affect the international timber market. They highlighted how
governments are displaying increasing interest in the
development of sustainable procurement policies.
Ioannis N. Athanasiadis et.al (2015) [12] investigated how
smart Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
solutions can be used for combating illegal logging and
timber trade. They put together techniques from agile
requirements engineering to propose a methodology for
identifying user stories and associated risks and priorities
and via a collaborative, participatory, single-day workshop,
named inception workshop.
Ed Pepke et.al (2015) [13] studied the illegal timber trade
stemming from illegal logging that has tremendous social,
economic, and environmental consequences. They Found
how illegal logging results in huge losses in assets on, and
revenues from, public lands, as well as losses in taxes and
royalties within developing countries.
Ernest Boampong et.al (2015) [14] experienced major
challenges that have subjected the sector to severe pressure
regarding raw material unavailability and a struggle for
efficient use of the limited available timber. This studied the
availability of timber species and their sizes in two local
timber markets and the factors that influence their selection
for furniture and joinery production.

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Isao Sakamoto et. al (2016) [15] studied the feasibility of
buildings with more than four stories using timber
effectively as a component of structural members under the
current Building Standard they provided the structural and
fireproof design for timber-based hybrid structures, as the
final results of this project.
Michael H. Ramage et.al (2017) [16] discussed that Trees,
and their derivative products, have been used by societies
around the world for thousands of years. They suggested a
growing interest in the potential for building with wood at a
scale not previously attainable. As wood is the only
significant building material that is grown, we have a natural
inclination that building in wood is good for the environment
or there are other aspects of civil and structural engineering,
or large-scale infrastructure, that would be a better use of
wood.
Steve Jennings et.al (2018) [17] resulted in deforestation
and a loss of biodiversity often violates the rights of local
communities and indigenous peoples and contributes to
climate change. A significant proportion of this deforestation
is embedded within the global trade in commodities,
including timber, pulp, and paper, and the huge international
trade in illegal timber contributes appreciably to these
negative environmental and social outcomes.
Mick Stephens et.al (2018) [18] analyzed that the
sustainability factor that supports the use of timber products
is the low carbon emission impact compared to substitute
products such as steel and concrete. This has contributed to
increasing interest and adoption by many public authorities
of Wood Encouragement Policies in the built environment.
Processing and manufacturing innovations are increasing
the availability of new engineered wood products that
enable a timber substitute or alternative to many traditional
timber products including bridge components. These
products can be made in a wide range of dimensions and
offer many key benefits including being lightweight, stable,
and minimal variation in mechanical performances.
Jim Hart et. al (2020) [19] studied that the built
environment is one of the greatest contributors to carbon
emissions, climate change, and unsustainable pressure on
the natural environment and its ecosystems. which identifies
a “substantial increase in the use of wood in the construction
of buildings” as a top priority.
Dinwoodie J. M. Timber et. al (2020) [20] analyzed that
Wood is a natural resource capable of being grown in most
parts of the world. It is possible to grow an endless supply of
timber. The environmental benefits of wood are immense.
Trees absorb CO2 from the atmosphere, store the carbon and
release O2 to the atmosphere, and so wood forms a carbon
sink – which is unique for an engineering material. Timber
harvested from trees and used in construction continues to
store carbon. The carbon is only released back into the
atmosphere when the wood decays or is burned.
Chadwick Dearing Oliver et.al Studied that both enough
extra wood can be harvested sustainably and enough
infrastructure of buildings and bridges needs to be built to
reduce annual CO2 emissions by 14 to 31% and FF
consumption by 12 to 19% if part of this infrastructure were
made of wood. The range is based on the efficiency of wood
use [21].
4. RESEARCH GAPS
It is important to mention that our analysis of the
sustainability of timber structure is playing a vital role. Some
expert stated that the future challenges for the further
development of sustainability are not about developing more
criteria and indicators, but instead the already available
criteria and the indicator should be used better and more
frequently, another expert mentioned that there are still
some gaps regarding the specific principle. Although our
analysis and comparison of the sustainability issues showed
a wide range of criteria and indicators implemented.
5. CHALLENGES OF TIMBER AS A BUILDING
MATERIAL
No building material exists without its challenges. With the
advancement in technology, materials must be studied and
scientifically explored. Following challenges must be taken in
timber work are as follows-
a. Fire-The greatest challenge of wood as a structural
material has been a fire. The greatest disadvantage of
timber building is fire. When timber burns, it gets
momentarily protected by its charring, which creates an
insulating layer that reduces the speed of the spread of
fire.
b. Weathering and decay- Another factor that affects the
timber is weathering and decay. Timber decay arises
from the fungal attack in combination with excessive
moisture. The effect of weathering can be prevented
through the coatings on the surface of the timber. If
proper coatings should be done on the surface of the
timber the timber should be safe on weathering agencies
and decay.
c. Termite infestation- Termite control is of very high
importance, however, the termite encroaching into a
dwelling is not dependent upon the type of frame used

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in construction. Some of the processes involved in
controlling termite infestation are suppression, site
management, soil barriers, and choice of foundation
6. DISCUSSION
This paper analyzed that good technical knowledge of timber
is necessary for its application. For the choice of timber
specific construction work include detailed knowledge of the
function of the structural unit and the specific property of
timber is given. Adequate information on the magnitude of
load, rate of loading, and duration of the load should be well
known. Proper seasoning of timber should be done to reduce
dimensional instability and distortion of the timber
structure.
7. SUMMARY
Sustainable building material is those that are
environmentally friendly, readily available, durable,
maintainable, and versatile in usage. The strength and
durability of wood are evident. Timber as a building material
possesses all these qualities and performs better when
compared with most other common building material.
Timber is also a renewable building material and flexible and
easy to work thus it is a sustainable building material.
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