One of the myths about wood in construction is: “wood is not very safe and can be easily destroyed by fire”. A premise that is not true, as research shows:
“In fire conditions, with high temperatures (850°C), wood behaves safer than other structures, such as steel, which from 500°C quickly loses its mechanical resistance, leading to the collapse of the structure so unpredictable. Well-sized pieces of wood offer greater security to the structure, as they gradually lose their mechanical resistance, delaying their collapse.” (Nunes, 2015)It is important to understand that the self-protective nature of the charred wood layer increases the likelihood of a wooden structure surviving a fire, as the uncharred inner core remains unchanged, maintaining its strength and, therefore, the stability of the structure.
It is worth highlighting: engineered wood is the result of an industrial process. In other words, it is a material that goes through a production process. And this process is precisely so that wood becomes a material with high structural capacity.
Being a structural material, the pieces ensure high mechanical, fire and humidity resistance.
– Speed, as the parts arrive ready for assembly on site – Clean construction site, free of waste – Silent execution – Greater safety for teams working in the manufacturing and assembly process – Biophilic design – Sustainability, the material is renewable, captures CO2 from the atmosphere and stores it throughout the time the wood is used – Environments that provide greater well-being, concentration and productivity through connection with nature
In fact, planting forests (and consuming them) is one of the solutions to mitigate global warming on the planet. As?
– The forestry process
– regular planting of forests for commercial purposes
– protects the original biomes.
– The practice of forestry guarantees a stock of carbon dioxide, because wood stores this gas inside, when carrying out the natural process of photosynthesis. Therefore, forestry can be seen as a major sectoral strategy for mitigating carbon emissions from construction.
– The production of cement or steel involves burning fossil fuels, which release high amounts of carbon into the atmosphere during the process.
– All wood used in the construction of Noah’s buildings comes from certified forests and planted for this purpose. Reference link for this content: Why planting forests can help save the planet?
– Urbem (urbembr.com)
Yes, engineered wood is an established material. In Brazil it is still not just for historical-cultural reasons. And that's why we're here, reinventing Brazilian construction and working with great dedication to bring wood culture to our country!
In countries such as Finland, Austria, Canada, Australia and the United States, there are already numerous works using mass timber. And, some examples of ventures that inspire us can be found on our blog .
In the United States there are more than 500 buildings currently under construction, and it is a market that is growing very quickly.