Achieving zero carbon emissions in the construction sector: The role of timber in decarbonising building structures

Reyes, Natalia; Rodriguez, Barbara X.; Wiegand, Eduardo; Zilic, Frane; Ramage, Michael; Bukauskas, Aurimas; Debnath, Ramit; Shah, Darshil U.; Colman, Tony; Wolf, Catherine G.; Koronaki, Antiopi; Gatoó, Ana; Gin, Yelda; Ossio, Felipe; Ahumada, M. Isabel

doi:10.33774/coe-2021-hgd6q-v2

Cited by 2 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 15 publications

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“…With the building and construction sector contributing around 38% of global carbon dioxide emissions [1], natural materials like timber and advancements in their structural applications have been at the forefront of decarbonising the embodied emissions of the built environment [2]- [4]. However, there are several policy and operational challenges to integrating engineered timber structures in the current built environment which hinder the seamless collaboration and material flow across the supply chain [5].…”

Section: Introduction 123mentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Performance of Next-Generation Timber Schools for Climate Action: A Simulation Approach

Debnath,

Koronaki,

Marino

et al. 2023

World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE 2023)

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As the global response to climate change intensifies, timber buildings will play an essential role in reducing carbon emissions from the built environment. This study provides a simulation-driven approach to estimating the environmental performance of timber buildings. In doing so, we present a case study of the UK's next generation of timber school buildings, the New Model School (NMS-timber). We perform a sensitivity analysis of the timber school building to concrete construction (NMS-concrete). The methodology involves an environmental performance estimation of the two building cases' operational energy and thermal comfort characteristics. The results show that NMS-timber has an annual energy usage intensity (EUI) of ~132kW/m 2 and ~146kW/m 2 for NMS-concrete, demonstrating a ~9.6% more energy efficiency per square metre for the timber building. We also find that the timber school building will save ~34.30% heating energy compared to the concrete construction while almost eliminating the cooling energy needs. We conclude that the NMS-timber can offer significantly better environmental performance to concrete buildings. When applied in early stages of the design development, the digital workflow presented promotes informed decisions during the project development stages and enhances the construction of energy-efficient structures.

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Section: Introduction 123mentioning

confidence: 99%

Environmental Performance of Next-Generation Timber Schools for Climate Action: A Simulation Approach

Debnath,

Koronaki,

Marino

et al. 2023

World Conference on Timber Engineering (WCTE 2023)

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“…The digitization of the timber construction sector is one of the key factors to reduce the embodied carbon in buildings and ultimately lower carbon emissions in the built environment (Reyes et al 2021). In the last two decades, technological advances have enabled the spread of Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines and engineered wood products, such as Cross and Glued Laminated Timber (CLT and Glulam).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design considerations for robotically assembled through-tenon timber joints

et al. 2022

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This research investigates the robotic assembly of timber structures connected by wood–wood connections. As the digitization of the timber construction sector progresses, digital tools, such as industrial robotic arms and Computer Numerical Control machines, are becoming increasingly accessible. The new-found ease with which wood can be processed stimulates a renewed interest in traditional joinery, where pieces are simply interlocked instead of being connected by additional metallic parts. Previous research established a computational workflow for the robotic assembly of timber plate structures connected by wood–wood connections. This paper focuses on determining the physical conditions that allow inserting through-tenon joints with a robot. The main challenge lies in minimizing the clearance between the tenon and the mortise in order to keep the connections as tight as possible. An experimental protocol has, therefore, been developed to quantitatively assess the performance of the insertion according to different geometric parameters. Robotic insertion tests have been carried out on over 50 samples of 39 mm Laminated Veneer Lumber. Results showed the interest of tapering the joint with a 5 degrees angle, in addition to introducing an offset of 0.05 mm, to minimize friction forces during the insertion. This configuration was confirmed by successfully assembling a 2,50 m long box girder with the same parameters.

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Achieving zero carbon emissions in the construction sector: The role of timber in decarbonising building structures

Cited by 2 publications

References 15 publications

Environmental Performance of Next-Generation Timber Schools for Climate Action: A Simulation Approach

Environmental Performance of Next-Generation Timber Schools for Climate Action: A Simulation Approach

Design considerations for robotically assembled through-tenon timber joints

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