NON-CONVENTIONAL BIO-STRUCTURES

Mauricio Gonzlez, PhD

October 2016 - February 2017

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 Lets start reviewing
the content of the
course
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 What are conventional
and non-conventional
structures?

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 Structures types clasification
Conventional structures: those made of conventional materials (e.g.
bricks, cement, steel, reinforced concrete). DESPITE THE FACT
THESE ARE VERY EXPENSIVE MATERIALS, THEY ARE VERY
POPULAR (broadly used) IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES.

Non-conventional structures: those made of traditional/ancestral

materials (e.g. clay and grain stalk adobe -, stones, wood, timber,
bamboo, among others). STILL UNDER LOW USAGE AND
PRODUCTION IN OUR COUNTRY.

Innovative bioengineering
4 materials: those that take
advantage/resemble the natural
 What is the problem
with conventional
structures?
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 Conventional materials for building purposes

But on top of that

VERY HIGH
ENVIRONMENTAL
POLLUTION

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 Why using non-
conventional
structures?
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 Why not using something different and
more optimum in terms of sourcing, price,
technology, time construction and, MOST
IMPORTANT, in terms of ENVIRONMENTAL
POLLUTION?

Something like this for giving an example

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 From previous said, lets start
studying some non-conventional
materials in order to be able to design
non-conventional biostructures.

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 One of the oldest building resources.
WOOD Bio-material with an optimal hierarchical
structure and mechanical efficiency (maximum
from the mechanical resistance per minimum amount of
material).
point of view Capable of transferring both tension and
compression forces.
of structural- Naturally suited as structural material in
mechanics construction applications.

16 Source: http://rfclipart.com/green-bamboo-stems-4743-vector-clipart.html
accessed on 25/02/2013
 Biomaterials hierarchical structural levels

Level 1 Level 2 Level 3 Level 4 Level 5

Integral Macroscopic Microscopic Ultrastructural Biochemical

(stem structure) (tissue structure) (cell structure) (cell wall structure) (cell wall composition)

Scaling from: Scaling from: Scaling from: Scaling from: Scaling from:

1mm up to 100 m in 10 cm to 0.1 mm 0.1 mm to 1 m 1 m to 10 nm 10 to 0.1 nm

length and 10 m in
diameter

Source: Knippers and Speck, 2012; Speck and Burgert, 2011

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 Five different structural hierarchical levels of plant stems.
Example in a pine stem and a tracheid. Adapted from Speck and Rowe (2006)
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 Key aspect when working with timber is
keeping sustainability through forest
regeneration of rapidly growing species (e.g.
radiata pine, Caribbean pine, hoop pine).

Wood Planting rates have to ensure a steady timber

supply during the coming decades.

Source: http://rfclipart.com/green-bamboo-stems-4743-vector-clipart.html
19 accessed on 25/02/2013
 DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WOOD AND TIMBER

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 What are Thinnings?
The thinning process is the
removal of poor quality trees (the
thinnings), which optimizes the
growing conditions for the
remaining trees

On average 1000 stems are planted per hectare

Gympie Messmate
(Eucalyptus coleziana)
Sundown Plantations
 What are Thinnings?
The thinning process is the
removal of poor quality trees (the
thinnings), which optimizes the
growing conditions for the
remaining trees

Between 1.5-3.5 years 500 to 600 poor quality

Gympie Messmate stems (thinnings) are removed
(Eucalyptus coleziana)
Sundown Plantations
 What are Thinnings?
The thinning process is the
removal of poor quality trees (the
thinnings), which optimizes the
growing conditions for the
remaining trees

Between 10-15 years another 300-450 stems are

removed to reduce inter-tree competition.
Gympie Messmate
(Eucalyptus coleziana) The remaining 150-200 are clear felled at between
Sundown Plantations 25-35 years
 Significant positive environmental impact with
respect to Greenhouse gas generation.

The so-called greenhouse effect is an anticipated build-

Timber and up of large molecule gases in our atmosphere which will

reduce the radiant heat that can escape the atmosphere.
The gases will, therefore, lead to steady increase in
Greenhouse atmospheric temperature.

effect The main culprits are carbon dioxide and methane.

http://www.livescience.com/37743-greenhouse-
effect.html

Source: http://rfclipart.com/green-bamboo-stems-4743-vector-clipart.html
24 accessed on 25/02/2013
 Carbon dioxide (CO2) and other
greenhouse gases act like a
blanket, absorbing IR radiation
Timber and and preventing it from escaping
into outer space. The net effect is
Greenhouse the gradual heating of Earth's
effect atmosphere and surface, a
process known as global
warming.

Source: http://rfclipart.com/green-bamboo-stems-4743-vector-clipart.html
25 accessed on 25/02/2013
 Greenhouse effect
Timber and
Greenhouse global warming
effect
climate change

26 Source: http://www.livescience.com/37743-greenhouse-effect.html
accessed on 27/04/2016
 Timber and
Greenhouse
effect

27 Source: http://www.livescience.com/37743-greenhouse-effect.html
accessed on 27/04/2016
 The natural ecosystem for CO2
exchange involves growing plants.
Many plants absorb CO2 and
Timber and release oxygen as a by-product of
photosynthesis.
Greenhouse
effect In the growth of trees, the carbon
goes mainly into laying up new
wood fibres.

Source: http://rfclipart.com/green-bamboo-stems-4743-vector-clipart.html
28 accessed on 25/02/2013
 Thus, planting trees
contribute to slowing the
greenhouse effect.
Timber and
Greenhouse As trees grow, they remove
effect carbon from the air and store
it in wood. It will stay fixed in
the wood indefinitely.

Source: http://rfclipart.com/green-bamboo-stems-4743-vector-clipart.html
29 accessed on 25/02/2013
 WOOD

TIMBER

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 Whenever wood is
locked away in a
Timber and structure, the carbon in
Greenhouse the wood has been taken
effect out of the atmospheric
carbon cycle.

Source: http://rfclipart.com/green-bamboo-stems-4743-vector-clipart.html
31 accessed on 25/02/2013
 Generation of energy is one of the
largest producers of atmospheric
carbon.
Timber in
the In measuring the effect of a structural
construction product on the carbon balance, the
carbon locked away needs to be offset
industry against the carbon released during
production of the material.

Source: http://rfclipart.com/green-bamboo-stems-4743-vector-clipart.html
32 accessed on 25/02/2013
 Structural timber requires very
little energy in its production.
Timber in A little energy is used in
the extracting the timber from the
construction forest, some more in sawing it
into boards, more in drying it and
industry another more in transport to
market and then to site.

Source: http://rfclipart.com/green-bamboo-stems-4743-vector-clipart.html
33 accessed on 25/02/2013
 Manufactured structural materials
such as steel, concrete and masonry
all involve very substantial use of
energy in manufacture.
Timber in The net carbon equivalent for
the materials can be calculated by finding
construction the mass of carbon released to the
atmosphere in the production of the
industry material and deducting from that the
mass of carbon stored in the material
(i.e. removed from the atmospheric
carbon cycle).

Source: http://rfclipart.com/green-bamboo-stems-4743-vector-clipart.html
34 accessed on 25/02/2013
 Many organizations and individuals
have performed these calculations
and found that timber products
Timber in have a net carbon storage value.
the They store more carbon than was
construction required in their manufacture.
industry Most other structural materials
store none, but require plenty to
produce the energy for
manufacture.

Source: http://rfclipart.com/green-bamboo-stems-4743-vector-clipart.html
35 accessed on 25/02/2013
 ThereareSteel or concrete
three options from thisare
point forward:
Timber in 20 and 9 times more
the 1. Do nothingCO 2 emissions
and live with the consequences.
2. Adapt to the intensive
changing (compared
climate (which includes things
construction
like rising sea on
levelmass
and related
basis)flooding).
than
industry
3. Mitigate structural
the impact of climate change by
timber,
aggressively enacting policies that actually reduce
respectively.
the concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere.

Source: http://rfclipart.com/green-bamboo-stems-4743-vector-clipart.html
36 accessed on 25/02/2013
 DISCOVERING
THE TIMBER
RENAISSANCE

Source: http://rfclipart.com/green-bamboo-stems-4743-vector-clipart.html
37 accessed on 25/02/2013
 DISCOVERING THE TIMBER RENAISSANCE
The timbers potential has evolved through the years, from decorative
and basic elements like roofs, small beans and columns to superior
building systems completely made of pre-fabricated timber like

multi-storey residential, commercial and

38 long span industrial portal framed buildings.
 DISCOVERING THE TIMBER RENAISSANCE
This surprisingly change tough has not occurred randomly.
Timbers inherent qualities are being progressively revealed and enhanced as the
construction industry is experiencing dramatically challenges that forces

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 DISCOVERING THE TIMBER RENAISSANCE
Evolution from common wood logs to engineered wood products (EWP)
cross laminated timber panels (CLT), laminated veneer lumber panels (LVL)
and Veneer Based Composite (VBC) poles

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wood logs cross laminated timber panels (CLT)
 DISCOVERING THE TIMBER RENAISSANCE

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 DISCOVERING THE TIMBER RENAISSANCE

Laminated veneer lumber panels (LVL)

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 DISCOVERING THE TIMBER RENAISSANCE

Laminated veneer lumber panels (LVL)

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 DISCOVERING THE TIMBER RENAISSANCE

Veneer Based Composite (VBC) poles

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 What is the advantage of EWPs over
conventional materials like
concrete or steel?

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 Advantages

Compete highly better than typical construction materials:

Superior proficiencies
Design flexibility
Fully address current engineering and environmental
requirements.
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 Engineering and environmental requirements

Sustainability
Higher structural performance
Lower construction costs
Shorter completion timelines
Efficient and low embodied energy
High fire acoustic thermal performance
Durability, light weight, readily availability, easy transport and assembly
Minimum environmental impacts that maximise green star ratings
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 Engineering and environmental requirements

Most important design

consideration as issues around
climate change and carbon storage
are playing decisive roles into the
growing global environmental
awareness.
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 Case study presented at the WCTE 2014

The tallest residential timber structure in

the world.
Entirely built from pre-fabricated CLT
panels and LVL members (manufactured
mainly from waste timber).
Completely surpassed expected
completion timelines (49 weeks versus 72
originally estimated for a traditional
concrete construction).

The Stadthaus building in London

49 (nine stores, 29 apartments)
 Case study presented at the WCTE 2014

When compared to an identical reinforced

concrete design, the benefits of using timber
solutions in this project are obvious:

400% reduction in weight

70% reduction in the foundation
68% reduction in time construction
Led to a cost saving of 15% all together.

The Stadthaus building in London

50 (nine stores, 29 apartments)
 Case study presented at the WCTE 2014
Moreover, the environmental benefits are
tangible:

The building itself stores around 186

tonnes of carbon dioxide.
The building construction method allowed
saving over 300 tonnes in carbon
emissions which is impressive.
Steel or concrete are 20 and 9 times more
CO2 emissions intensive (compared on
mass basis) than timber, respectively.
The Stadthaus building in London
51 (nine stores, 29 apartments)
 Current research
Research is being conducted to:

Improve connections.
Innovative sandwich panels.
Bamboo reinforced glued-laminated
timber (glulam).
Ecuadorian cocowood form-structure-
function relationship and validation.
Cocofibre reinforced polymeric
composites as alternative for building
purposes
Cocowood particleboards for acoustic and
52 thermal applications.
 Conclusion
Innovative timber products offer sustainable, versatile,
renewable, structural, cost effective, eco-friendly and aesthetic
appeal solutions to todays building needs.

Timber is an amazing material to work with and is more relevant

than ever before with an extensive range of potentials and
applications that are limited only by imagination.

The industry is definitely undergoing a modern renaissance.

It is indeed the concrete of the 21st century as said by award-

winning Canadian architect, Michael Green.
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