The need for a shift in our construction practices is evident. The built environment accounts for over 35% of global greenhouse gas emissions. About a third originates from producing materials like concrete, metals, and plastics – resources that cannot renew themselves. These concerns encompass climate impacts and issues of resource scarcity, public health, and housing provision.
An alternative that holds promise is timber-based construction. Recent advancements in timber manufacturing offer possibilities for extensive integration into the built environment, concurrently addressing the challenges mentioned earlier.
In this course, you will learn how and why we should support the greater use of timber in our built environment by implementing a combined 'sustainable forestry' and 'timber for construction' supply chain.
Sustainable forest management allows us to use timber while preserving forests by considering ecological, social, and economic factors. Sustainably sourced timber can store carbon, both in forests and in buildings.
Additionally, an ideal timber construction process should incorporate circular building practices allowing us to re-use timber structures at individual building and regional level.
This course holds relevance for all stakeholders in the built environment: architects, developers, engineers, consultants, and policymakers. It also beckons to students seeking insights into cutting-edge practices and opportunities for designing and constructing with timber.
What You'll Learn:
- Gain fresh insights into the importance of building sustainably with timber from well-managed forests
- Familiarize yourself with the environmental impact and carbon footprint of timber constructions
- Analyze and identify circular timber building design typologies
- Evaluate the cohesion and stability of timber load-bearing structures
- Examine the building physics and design qualities of modern timber buildings
- Discuss the benefits of prefabrication and building processes
Course information
- Start of the MOOC: November 15th, 2023
- Estimated effort: 4-5 hours per week
- Language: English (videos, transcripts, content)
- Prerequisites: None
- Level: Introductory
- Associated skills: Green Building, Forestry, Forest Management, Built Environment, HP OpenView, Construction, Greenhouse Gas
>> Enroll for the course here <<
This course is developed in collaboration between TU Delft’s Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment, Circular Built Environment Hub, VIA University College Denmark, FSC Netherlands, AMS Institute, Ssse | OvO associates architects, Lister Buildings, Material District, and geWOONhout, this course is an outcome of the HOME for the future project.