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Building Affordable Homes with Mass Timber Construction


Due to the dramatic increase in population movement to major cities, housing infrastructure is one of the biggest problems in India and other nations. Our society has serious issues with affordability, equity in housing, and homelessness.


By incorporating innovative building technology, we can create homes more rapidly and economically while simultaneously raising their quality, standard, and overall value.


Construction materials must be made from energy-efficient, renewable resources. Mass wood construction, a new method utilised globally to build homes more quickly, more efficiently, and without producing any carbon emissions, is being used to build multi-story buildings in many countries, including the USA, Canada, Australia, Europe, Asia, etc.


What Is Mass Timber Construction?


According to a United Nations study, more than 7 billion people would live in metropolitan areas by the year 2050. Urban life is increasingly characterised by informal settlements as a result of the rapid urbanisation sparked by population expansion. In order to accommodate the expanding urban poor, affordable housing needs to be planned and built more swiftly.


Conventional construction techniques need longer construction timeframes, which encourages squatter settlements and other irregular settlements while also substantially raising global carbon emissions. Building accessible, healthy homes that are sustainable and make advantage of newer construction technology is one of today's needs.


The USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) Forest Service’s Wood Innovation Grant (WIG) examined the evolution of multifamily affordable housing in the United States. The study took into account the difficulties in producing inexpensive housing of acceptable quality at a reasonable price, the industry’s social, economic, and racial factors, as well as the concerns that the acute lack of affordable housing generates. The researchers examined mass timber as a potential affordable housing solution.


Benefits of Mass Timber Construction


The following characteristics make timber construction one of the most sustainable and sustainable methods in the world:


  • Environmentally friendly and sustainable construction material – the wood used in mass timber is harvested from young trees that are found in sustainably managed forests.

  • A Renewable Resource – It is possible to reduce global CO2 emissions by 14% to 30% and fossil fuel use by 12% to 19%.

  • Lighter in Weight – Compared to concrete and steel, mass wood is lighter in weight, which lowers the dead load and enables us to use it as a material to add additional floors over existing structures where it is legal. It also retains CO2 and uses less carbon during manufacture than either concrete or steel.

  • Health and Aesthetic Benefits – Timber contributes toward health and aesthetic benefits. The warmth of wood has been shown to improve the residents’ emotional wellbeing. It has been demonstrated to lower stress, improve physical, mental, and emotional health, and heighten positive emotions. The quality of the environment indoors is improved. Most people are drawn to the beauty of natural wood because it has a pleasant ambiance and is a renewable resource.

  • Quicker Turnaround with Cost Benefits – There is a significant cap on on-site work and the majority of it is done with extreme accuracy in factories. This ensures quicker assembly and cuts costs overall.

  • Affordable – Due to its low cost, mass timber may have a significant effect on the housing market. It is much less expensive to make than both steel and concrete. Since mass timber is also supplied from the local market, it frequently incurs lower transportation expenses.

Mass Timber Products


In a variety of shapes and sizes, mass-produced timber items can assist meet the demand. Cross Laminated Timber, a technique for making wood panels, involves layering wood across at a 90-degree angle and bonding it in place (CLT). Due to its strength, dimensional stability, and stiffness, it is appropriate for use in mid- and high-rise construction. When individual laminations are fastened with nails or screws, dimensional lumber is positioned on the edge and is referred to as nail-laminated timber (NLT).


Dowel-Laminated Timber (DLT) panels are friction-fitted together with hardwood dowels and stacked like NLT. Since there are no glue, nails, or screws used to create its strength, it is more sustainable, simpler to mill, and appealing for exposed constructions. A structurally engineered wood product called Glued-Laminated Timber (Glulam) is frequently used for beams and columns. It permits both curvature and lengthy exposed frame spans.

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