We have used wood as a building element for millennia, it has great virtues, is affordable, easy to cut and allows us to manufacture all kinds of structures; From roof supports to a house, this natural and renewable element is a great ally when it comes to building.
In bio construction, wood is widely used because it is a natural, renewable and very practical element, for example, to create self-supporting roof structures and as a base for green roofs.
A movement called Cordwood was born in the US a few years ago, they are constructions made with a mixture of wood and cement mortar, cut wood is used as if it were for firewood and a mixture of sand spices with sawdust and cement is made to make the walls.
Depending on the weather the house can be made entirely of wood, but there are some things to consider that are important for the construction to be harmonious with the environment.
The wood must be local, this not only brings the advantage of lower freight but also the wood from trees in the same area where the house is already adapted to the climatic variables of the same as humidity, cold, snow etc.
The wood must come from certified farms as sustainable, if we are going to procure our own wood we must look for dry trees or fallen trees that can provide us with good wood.
Another great advantage of wood is that we can combine it with other techniques such as construction with straw or mud.
It is also one of the best elements when making the openings of our house, not to mention the furniture.
We can use for these fine wood recovered from old constructions, palms and antique furniture giving a touch of design to our house.
Another important thing when working with wood is the final treatment of those exposed wood parts either inside or outside the house, there are several ecological products for these but one of the oldest and simplest to use is the oil, my favorite is flaxseed oil outdoors can even be treated with excellent wood results using used cooking oil.
Personally, I think that wood is the best option to make natural constructions, since it is a renewable source in relatively short periods of time, other natural elements such as the soil we step on take thousands of years to form so that its renovation is very slow.
Wood, in addition to structural, is an excellent thermal insulator much better than bricks or earth, although it does not have much thermal mass, it allows building very energy-efficient houses.
Even traditional construction companies such as the Spanish Canexel have opted for the construction of wooden houses, given the virtues of the material and the possibility of offering its customers a more environmentally friendly product and excellent performance, completion and ease of standardizing and building quickly.
That is why if we learn to use it sustainably, wood has many advantages for construction, but in addition to making beautiful and natural houses we must not forget to plant a few trees to continue building in the future.
Wood in bioconstruction by Raúl Mannise
