Brings together collections of important papers on particular topics from scholarly journals, conference papers and other hard-to-access sources.

This book contains the contributions from the RILEM International Symposium on Materials and Joints in Timber Structures that was held in Stuttgart, Germany from October 8 to 10, 2013. It covers recent developments in the materials and the joints used in modern timber structures. Regarding basic wooden materials, the contributions highlight the widened spectrum of products comprising cross-laminated timber, glulam and LVL from hardwoods and block glued elements. Timber concrete compounds, cement bonded wood composites and innovative light-weight constructions represent increasingly employed alternatives for floors, bridges and facades. With regard to jointing technologies, considerable advances in both mechanical connections and glued joints are presented. Self-tapping screws have created unprecedented options for reliable, strong as well as ductile joints and reinforcement technologies. Regarding adhesives, which constitute the basis of the jointing/laminating technology of modern timber products, extended options for tailor-made bonding solutions have to be stated. Apart from melamine-urea and phenolic-resorcinol adhesives, one-component-polyurethanes, emulsion isocyanate polymers and epoxies offer a wide range of possibilities. The contributions dealing with experimental and numerical investigations on static, cyclic and seismic behavior of structures clearly reveal the enhanced potential of modern timber construction for reliable and sustainable buildings and bridges of the new millennium. The book is structured in nine thematic areas, being I) Structures II) Mechanical Connections III) Glued Joints and Adhesives IV) Timber and Concrete/Cement/Polymer Composites V) Cyclic, Seismic Behavior VI) Hardwood, Modified Wood and Bamboo VII) Cross-Laminated Timber VIII) Properties and Testing of Wood IX) Glulam

Woodworking has been one of the most important technologies from the earliest times. Carpentry was important for buildings and bridges and as an integral part of most construction processes. The history of this subject has been explored by a variety of scholars, from archaeologists who have studied medieval timber techniques to engineers who have been interested in the development of bridges. The different studies have explored the methods of carpentry, the behaviour of the structures that were built and even the economic and social histories behind the development of carpentry techniques. This book collects together a number of papers representing this full range of scholarship as well as providing a general review of work in the field.

This book emphasizes the important message that architects and structural engineers must strive to ensure that the buildings they design and construct should not be major contributors to climate change. Rather, they should be exploring the use of green materials and building methods – such as timber, wood, and associated materials – in order to safeguard the environment. These sustainable materials are not only environmentally friendly, but they have the added benefit of being easy to manufacture, cost effective, often locally available, and easily replenished. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that wood and timber are viable materials in the construction of a wide variety of building types, including medium and high-rise buildings. The Importance of Wood and Timber in Sustainable Buildings brings together a distinguished group of contributors from different cultures and building traditions to address why now is the time to rethink our construction methods and explore replacing many of the carbon intensive materials that are currently being used with wood and timber.

Timber construction is one of the most prevalent methods of constructing buildings in North America and an increasingly significant method of construction in Europe and the rest of the world. Timber Engineering deals not only with the structural aspects of timber construction, structural components, joints and systems based on solid timber and engineered wood products, but also material behaviour and properties on a wood element level. Produced by internationally renowned experts in the field, this book represents the state of the art in research on the understanding of the material behaviour of solid wood and engineered wood products. There is no comparable compendium currently available on the topic - the subjects represented include the most recent phenomena of timber engineering and the newest development of practice-related research. Grouped into three different sections, 'Basic properties of wood-based structural elements', 'Design aspects on timber structures' and 'Joints and structural assemblies', this book focuses on key issues in the understanding of: timber as a modern engineered construction material with controlled and documented properties the background for design of structural systems based on timber and engineered wood products the background for structural design of joints in structural timber systems Furthermore, this invaluable book contains advanced teaching material for all technical schools and universities involved in timber engineering. It also provides an essential resource for timber engineering students and researchers, as well as practicing structural and civil engineers.

The “old” material of wood has been used to construct dwellings of different types since the dawn of mankind. And not without reason. Its low density combined with high rigidity, good processability, and its resistance makes it an excellent building material. There is currently a pioneering renaissance of the timber construction, for two distinct reasons: first, wood is increasingly being rediscovered as one of the most important renewable raw materials for sustainable construction. Moreover, a revolution in the construction of timber structures began several years ago with the ever-progressive use of three-dimensional CAD models for digitally controlled robot manufacturing The book documents these developments, in particular the engineering bonding techniques, the introduction of digital production techniques, and the innovative material developments of this material. The chapter on composite structures and experimental structures specifically address trends toward the future-oriented dimensions of timber construction. In the final section, outstanding designs are documented in detail, such as the Club House of Haesley Nine Bridges Golf Course designed by Shigeru Ban in Yeoju, South Korea, and the double gymnasium in Borex-Crassier, Switzerland, by Graeme Mann and Patricia Capua Mann.