Thinking Wood as a Material of Choice

Designers today are finding new possibilities in one of the oldest building materials on earth. Wood has always been valued for its beauty, abundance and practicality, but many of wood’s inherent characteristics are rising to very current challenges. Wood’s traditional values and newest technologies meet in the projects presented in this course, illustrating the advantages of wood to in four areas: cost-effectiveness in a wide range of projects; adaptability for use in challenging, visionary new designs; lower environmental costs throughout its life cycle, from its source in renewable, carefully managed forests, through an energy-efficient service life, and often on to a new, recycled and reimagined use; and a unique human-nature connection that has always been intuitive, but is now being documented in research.

Learning Objectives:

• Compare the material, project and environmental costs of wood to other building materials.
• Explain innovative wood technologies and how they are contributing to a wide range of sustainable designs.
• Discuss the environmental impact of wood throughout its life cycle, including its renewability, certification options, impacts on energy efficiency, low carbon footprint, and end-of-life recycling and reuse.
• Examine research and examples demonstrating the positive impact of exposed wood on a building’s occupants.