Environmental performances of different timber structures for pitched roofs

Abstract

The construction industry is one of the most important actors in the global sustainability act, seeing as it is responsible for a significant negative load over the natural environment. In the journey towards minimising these damaging effects, the first key step is understanding the environmental performances of the materials used in this sector. Taking into account that forests have a crucial role in sustaining life, analysing the environmental impact of wood as a construction material represents a necessary task for civil engineers. The present paper aims at evaluating and comparing the environmental performances of three timber structures for pitched roofs: the trestle frame roof structure, the roof structure with collars, and the trussed rafter roof structure. The environmental burdens have been determined by using the cradle-to-cradle Life Cycle Assessment methodology and the GaBi ts software. Upon analysing the results, the authors have concluded that the roof structure with collars has the lowest impact over the Earth's ecosystem. The study also shows that even if the trestle frame is the leading environmentally friendly solution over the pre- and post-operation phases, this structural system is responsible for the highest unfavourable effects over its entire life cycle. The authors argue that by using the roof structure with collars, the damaging load of the construction sector over the natural environment is one step closer to being minimised.