Wood as Building Material

Wellbeing

Wood is very warm material. Massive wood has a great warmth capacity. That is, there is a lot of accumulating mass. The mass balances out the temperature changes in different times of day and keeps the interior temperature comfortable. In summer the atmosphere is pleasantly calm and in winter smoothly warm.

Longevity

Wood is durable material. The oldest log houses in the world are over 800 years old. Wood is very bearing structure compared to its lightness in weight. After earthquakes most of the undamaged buildings are made of logs.

Appearance

Wood is beautiful material. You eye rests in natural forms and colours. Many well-knows artists, composers, and writers have given birth to their greatest creations in a log house. Natural surroundings bring up creativity.

Safety

Wood is a fire-proof material and lasts longer in fire than concrete columns or steel beams. This is due to the 15% of wood mass being water which will evaporate before actual burning. In addition, logs get charred which protects the core.

Ecology

Wood is a renewable resource and using it supports the global sustainable development. As a tree grows it binds carbon dioxide to itself and slows down the global warming on its behalf. The materials of a genuine wood house are recyclable after decades. Building a log house is an environmental act.

Economy

Wood is an inexpensive material. Forest is a wood factory which produces wood using only solar energy. Only minimum amounts of power are required for maintaining the forest, tree-felling and transport. In comparison, the production of a cubic meter of steel requires about 320 times more energy than for providing a cubic meter of wood. In processing and production too, wood requires far less energy than other building materials.