Tag: Timber Frame Construction

Timber Construction Structural Element

The Reasons Why Timber Is Selected As a Structural Element in Construction Projects

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Timber has been used as a construction material since the beginning of recorded history. Over the past 100 years its use as a structural element in large scale commercial or industrial buildings has fallen dramatically when compared to steel or concrete. An investigation into the properties and physical characteristics of timber has shown that with careful detailing and specification it can be used in almost any situation that steel or concrete is currently used in. It has also been demonstrated that timber is the most sustainable of the main construction materials provided it is produced under the auspices of the accredited certification schemes. This has led the researcher to question why it is not specified more often in the UK construction industry. A questionnaire was sent out to determine the attitudes to practitioners from several disciplines towards the use of timber as a structural element.

Timber Construction Structural Element
Timber Construction Structural Element

The results showed that timber is used less often than steel or concrete and the results show that in theory timber is suitable for most structural elements of a building; in practice it is rarely used due to the perceived difficulty in design and on site construction of the timber elements compared to similar steel or concrete designs. It is suggested that further research be conducted to establish if the actual difficulties in design and construction match the perceptions of the designers and contractors expressed in this research. It is further suggested that detailed research into the relative costs of timber, steel and concrete would identify whether the perception that ‘timber is an expensive option’ is true. The overall aim of the research is to compare timber with steel and concrete when used as a structural element. It is anticipated that the research will demonstrate that timber can replace steel or concrete as a structural element under certain circumstances and will attempt to establish why it is not more commonly used.

Dissertation Objectives

  1. Evaluate the physical characteristics of timber, focusing particularly on its use as a main structural element, comparing the properties to similar steel and concrete elements
  2. Identify whether the perception that timber is rarely used in commercial or industrial buildings is correct
  3. After establishing whether objective 2) is true, identify a trend which indicates why timber use is rare or, if 2) is false, the reason why there is the perception
  4. Establish whether the results of the research would have an influence on the choice of materials in the future

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Timber Frame Construction Dissertation

Construction Management Dissertation Topics

I do hope enjoyed reading this post on the use of timber as a structural element in construction projects. There are many other titles available in the construction dissertation collection that should be of interest to construction management students and building professional. There are many dissertation titles that relate to other aspects of construction such as project management techniques, environmental management, building and construction methods to name a few. It took a lot of time to write this post and I would be grateful if you could share this post via Facebook and Twitter. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section. Thank you.

Timber Frame Construction Dissertation

An Examination into the Threat of Fire to Timber Frame Construction in the UK

Since the dawn of early man timber has been used as a construction material. As the human race developed so did their buildings. As its name suggests, timber frame construction is a method of building that relies on a timber frame as a basic way of structural support. Many scholars remind us timber for constructional purposes varies widely throughout the world. He also claims that countries have tended to develop their own methods of construction depending largely on the availability of local raw materials and to a lesser extent on climate. This can be seen to be true of countries which have large areas of forestry such as North America, Canada and the Scandinavian countries. Approximately 95% of all homes built in the US and Scandinavia are of timber frame construction. The market share for new homes in the UK is just over 20% and that figure is expected to rise to over 30% in the next few years.

Timber Frame Construction Dissertation
Timber Frame Construction Dissertation

Timber frame is now a mainstream method of house building in England as it has been in Scotland for quite some time, where over 70% of homes are built using timber frame. Timber frame building is a simple concept and is well within the scope of anyone who has a working knowledge of general building practices. It uses plywood nailed to a timber framework to form a robust structural shell. They can be finished with a wide variety of external claddings such as brick, stone; cement based rendering systems, tile hanging, wood or plastic either singly or in a combination. The frame is completed first and then the cladding is applied. Plasterboard is used to internally line the building as soon as the building is watertight, and this can then be finished with many different materials.

Dissertation Aims and Objectives

This dissertation aims to provide a background into the development of the timber frame construction industry and investigate the threat of fire during the construction stage, and also to prove that timber can still be considered as a major construction component.

  • To provide a background into the history, evolution, advancements and modern methods of timber-frame construction
  • To provide an insight into the fire issues that has to be dealt with during the construction of timber-frame multi-story buildings
  • To examine the new procedures that are being considered as a solution to the recent concerns with the fire safety of timber-frame buildings
  • To find what Members of the construction industries views are towards the fire safety of timber-frame buildings
  • To determine whether timber frame buildings can still play apart in the future of construction.

I do hope enjoyed reading this post on fire and timber frame construction. There are many other titles available in the construction dissertation collection that should be of interest to construction management students and building professional. There are many dissertation titles that relate to other aspects of construction such as project management techniques, environmental management, building and construction methods to name a few. It took a lot of effort to write this post and I would be grateful if you could share this post via Facebook and Twitter. Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section. Thank you.

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