A Handbook for the Sustainable Use of Timber in Construction - Hardcover

by Jim Coulson (Author), Iain Thew (With)

There is a growing interest in the use of wood in new building, not least because it has low embodied energy and it is an infinitely renewable resource. Despite a great deal of innovation in the use of wood in construction in recent years, the fundamentals of using this natural material have not really changed: the different types of wood have different properties and differing responses to the environment in which they are used. When used correctly, wood is an excellent building material but when inappropriately specified or used, it may cause problems. Poor understanding of the properties of wood and the many species and grades that are commercially available can result in this versatile material performing below expectation, and certainly less well than could have been achieved with greater understanding about how best to use it.

How Wood Works is a combination of the author's two previous books, into one comprehensive volume. Revised and updated material to deal with the essentials of structural design and building in timber, in a sustainable manner while reflecting on changes in Standards and other Regulations and expanding on certain technical areas - such as more detailed wood science and wood structure.

Back Jacket

A practical and up to date guide on the sustainable use of wood in construction

A Handbook for the Sustainable Use of Timber in Construction provides a comprehensive and up to date resource that offers a detailed overview on the sustainable use of wood in the construction industry. The authors include information on the most common issues that occur when using wood as a building material, ideas for using wood effectively in a variety of building types, and outline the most recent changes to standards and regulations.

Written for use by an international audience, the book includes topics not covered in Coulson's previous works, such as the biological degradation of timber and covers the key technical areas in wood science. The volume also provides an overview of the international regulatory framework that ensures sustainable sourcing of construction timber. This important book:

• Guides the reader to an understanding of the use of wood as a sustainable, renewable construction material
• Reviews the strengths and weaknesses of wood in construction
• Highly practical, including examination of common issues and potential challenges encountered when using wood as a building material
• Discusses the effective use of wood across a range of building types
• Provides an overview of the international regulatory framework to ensure sustainable sourcing

Written for professionals in the timber trade, architects, structural engineers, and interior designers, the Handbook for the Sustainable Use of Timber in Construction covers the recent innovations in the use of wood in today's construction projects as well as the most recent standards and regulations.

Author Biography

JIM COULSON is a Past President of the Institute of Wood Science, a Fellow of the Institute of Materials Minerals and Mining (IOM3), a Fellow of the Faculty of Building and a Chartered Environmentalist. He is a member of the Board of the Wood Technology Society (part of IOM3), a member of the UK Timber Grading Committee and a member of two BSI Committees concerned with Structural Uses for Wood-Based Materials and the Sustainability of Construction Works. He is also a member of the International Research Group on Wood Protection and a member of the ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) International Wood Committee. He has an encyclopedic knowledge of the uses of timber and wood-based products in both historic and present-day construction. He has been a Visiting Lecturer to Schools of Architecture and Engineering at Newcastle and Durham Universities, as well as Leeds College of Building. He is founder of TFT Woodexperts Limited - a consultancy practice dealing with all technical aspects of timber and wood-based materials, their processing and uses. He also sets cryptic crossword puzzles for The Times, The Daily Telegraph, the Sunday Telegraph and Materials World (the House Magazine of IOM3).

IAIN THEW is a structural engineer, with a particular interest in the use of wood in construction. He studied Structural Engineering with Architecture at The University of Edinburgh, gaining a Masters degree in Engineering. He is secretary of the Wood Technology Society, a Materials Division of the IOM3 and sits on the B/518 BSI Committee on Structural Timber. He is also a Chartered Member of the Institution of Structural Engineers and a qualified timber grader. He works for Structural & Civil Consulting Ltd, a consultancy which specialises in wood in construction and historic buildings, and has worked on projects as varied as the Rievaulx Abbey Visitor Centre and the Castle Howard Palladian Dome.