Timber Engineered for C21 Architecture

Wood, timber and engineered timber products offer considerable opportunities in the construction of schools and houses, offices, concert halls and longspan public buildings in the context of a world of finite resources. Variations of grain density and moisture, the need for preservation and fire resistance profoundly affect its success in architecture. Computer aided design and 3D virtual prototyping offer great opportunity for manipulation of a light, strong material that is inherently capable of `distortion' into a wide range of architectural forms. Engineering design is discussed for a range of timber buildings that have used roundwood, laminated timber frames and arches, green oak frames and American white oak, a range of gridshells using hemlock, oak, larch laths and LVL.