The world of construction and architecture is shifting towards sustainable building methods to meet demand and reduce costs. There are many materials that can help us do this, and they are in use today. Two of the most popular that construction companies use are mass timber products and metals for providing cleaner, safer, and cheaper homes and offices globally.
Modern Alternative to Hardwood
Mass timber is also known as engineered wood. It is often made up of composite materials such as cross-laminated timber (CLT). Composite woods are largely recycled and also include plastic that cannot be used anywhere else, helping with the current plastics problem. Of course, you can use alternatives to composite wood, such as aluminium decking, which also offers safe and sustainable ways to develop modern buildings. Each also offers increased fire safety.
A Safer Way to Build
As mentioned, mass timber and metal decking are fire safe and are fast becoming popular ways to develop commercial and residential buildings because of this. Following the Grenfell Tower incident, fire safety is at the forefront of all modern developments. Mass timber, especially, is developed with this in mind and helps reduce the spread of fire. It works by charring the topmost layer of the composite. As a result, the inner core doesn’t catch fire as hardwood does.
Sustainable Building Improves Production Rates
For all its excellent benefits, such as fire suppression, mass timber also helps your development improve production and save money. This is mainly because the speed at which you can erect a building has increased by around 25% when using CLT. Additionally, mass timber projects provide a better working environment for carpenters, engineers and other on-site staff. Because there is much less “sawdust”, the overall site is cleaner and much more efficient than usual.
Meeting Demand through Regulation
The demand for safer, eco-friendly and cheaper buildings is higher than ever. Because of this, world governments allow you to use mass timber in more ways than previously allowed. For example, the International Code Council changed the limit on how many stories you can construct using CLT. Where it was once limited to three, it has now increased to eight. And it is gaining traction at the state level in countries like the United States since it has a lower tariff.
The Outcomes Everyone Wants
Using CLT has almost no drawbacks when it is done correctly. From a business point of view, you will save money and meet all required compliance when building a home or office building. As a consumer, the savings and speed at which mass timber projects can be completed are passed to you. Additionally, the use of CLT and other recycled products in construction, such as metal decking, has a massive positive impact on the environment and sustainability issues.
Summary
Sustainable building is on everyone’s mind these days. Mass timber and metal products are leading the way in modern developments. Overall, they help with eco-friendly policies. But wider, they help us meet demand, lower expenses, and offer a safer alternative to hardwood.
