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GBlist: Re: Wood Use



Someone Wrote:

>Why would you want to limit the use of wood products in building?

>We like cellulosic products because the fibers are inherantly
>non-conductive, these products are the only renewable building resources
>we have, it's cheap and easy (read: low impact) to fabricate into usable
>stuff like walls, it imparts a big moisture storage potential in
>building assemblies that is critical to durability, the embodied energy
>is low, the hassle of procuring these products is minimal (read: low
>impact), the distribution impact of these products is truly minimal, and
>wood fiber insulation is so superior to *anything* else that it seems
>like a gift from God. Did I mention that it's all recyclable?

I'm a little surprised at this response - many people, for many different 
reasons, are trying to minimize the use of wood in buildings.  The 
reduction of wood is one of most active areas today in building research 
and design, both in progressive and in traditional circles.

Indeed, the US and Canada are the only countries in the world that waste 
wood in the way our  building industry does.  What we take for granted, 
all of Europe, Asia, and Down Under sees as being stunningly wasteful.  
Having been to these places, seen the quality and sustainability of 
construction, and then compared it to our methods, I must say I agree - 
we might bury in a landfill (this is not "recycling") as much wood from 
each new house, as most overseas homes actually use!

>So please tell me what would motivate a person to rail against 10,000
>years of building evolution that has just about achieved perfection?

A quick look at the new subdivisions in my area - consisting of 3 - 5,000 
SF stick framed homes, that appear on the landscape as if they were 
haphazardly dropped from a cargo plane - make me wonder if we have 
differing ideas of "perfection".  Fortunatly, "building evolution" - 
certainly world-wide and belatedly here as well - is moving away from 
such crude monstrosities.

I think one of the points being made here, and which I wish to fully 
concur with, is this:
In its proper place, wood is a beautiful, effective, and wonderfull 
material.  Although its common in other parts of the world to use none, 
in my own house, I would always feature wood.  And that is the key:  my 
personal guideline is to use wood only *where it can be experienced*.  
There are plenty of other materials that work as well or better in 
situations where they are not seen anyway.

There are other organizations far better equipped to offer assorted facts 
and statistics, but here is a summary of my personal thinking on this 
subject ---

1. At our current population levels, and style of building, wood is very 
much NOT a "renewable resource".  This became true in other parts of the 
world much earlier, and they adapted their methods and materials 
accordingly.  The US and Canada is currently being dragged kicking and 
screaming into 21st century reality, but reality it is.  And from my 
perspective, the sooner the better:  I would much rather walk through a 
forest of trees than through a subdivision of sticks.  With today's 
methods, we can't do both.

A clearcut forest, an eroded logging road, a hillside without topsoil, a 
silted-in river, altered big game habitat, etc, is not my idea of 
"low-impact".

2. We can (and are already trying to) use much less wood while keeping 
current building styles.  Engineered products, new framing layouts, and 
modular sizing all offer savings.

3.  There are as good or better materials available for structural and 
weatherization applications.

4.  After the above, there will be plenty enough wood available to use 
where it counts, where we can feel it, and where it works well:  interior 
finishes and trim.

Please excuse any stridency in my reply;  the time I spend hiking, 
biking, running, skiing, and kayaking through our forests and woodlands 
is very important to me.  North America has an incredible natural 
heritage, that is quite literally unique to this planet, and I don't want 
to see it traded for construction expediency or marketability, especially 
since such wastefullness and lack of forethought has already been 
demonstrated to be unneccessary.

Buzz Burrell
Bolder Building
Boulder, Colorado
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