Recommending a new building structure to alleviate environmental impact in tropical climates: increasing the use of wood in construction

Purpose The construction sector is interested in considering environmental implications as necessary criteria for sustainability. In this regard, wood materials, especially engineering wood, are a promising choice for sustainable buildings. In some countries such as Malaysia, timber is rarely considered in the construction sector despite there being abundant access to wood. This is because of the scarcity of timber structures and the dominance of alternative materials such as steel and concrete. The cross-laminated timber-steel composite introduced in this research benefits both the wood and the steel markets leading to standardization and a more extensive market. At the same time, it contributes to environmentally friendly requirements. The main objective was to investigate timber applications in local construction and make proposals for its promotion. The new specimen described here could potentially enhance the strength of timber beams using steel plates. Four current structural methods have been chosen based on environmental and economic comparisons with a new composite structure. Methods The life cycle assessment (LCA) and life cycle cost (LCC) have been used to compare the performance of four current conventional structures. Results and discussion The results showed that the new proposed structure has lower emissions in all environmental categories, namely, Global Warming Potential (GWP), Human Carcinogenic Toxicity (HCT), Fossil Depletion Potential (FDP), Ozone Layer Depletion (OLD), Terrestrial Acidification (TA) and embodied energy. The results of the LCC are consistent with the environmental issue as the new composite has a lower cost over its entire life span. Conclusions The new structure provides a novel and sustainable alternative for the construction industry.

This version of the article has been accepted for publication, after peer review (when applicable) and is subject to Springer Nature’s AM terms of use, but is not the Version of Record and does not reflect post-acceptance improvements, or any corrections. The Version of Record is available online at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11367-022-02074-5