Abstract
Construction is a powerful industry that is not indifferent to the environment. Neither the maintenance of buildings in a proper technical condition nor their eventual demolition is indifferent to the environment. The main threats to the environment are still the inefficient use of construction materials and energy needed for their production and installation, as well as the emission of harmful substances to the environment at the stage of operation of buildings and their demolition. This article discusses the importance of wood as a renewable material in terms of its physical and mechanical properties. The restoration of forest areas is of great importance to the global ecosystem and the sustainable development system, reducing the threat of global warming and the greenhouse effect by reducing CO2 levels. In addition, demolition wood can be reused in construction, can be safely recycled as it quickly decomposes, or can be used as a source of renewable energy. The preservation of existing timber-framed buildings in good condition contributes to a lower consumption of this raw material for repair, which already significantly reduces the energy required for their manufacture, transport, and assembly. This also reduces the amount of waste that would have to be disposed of in various ways. Both at the stage of design, execution, and then exploitation, one forgets about the physical processes taking place inside the partitions and about the external climatic influences of the environment (precipitation, water vapor, and temperature) on which the type, intensity, and extent of chemical and biological corrosion depend to a very high degree. This paper presents examples of the influence of such impacts on the operational safety of three selected objects: a feed storehouse and an officer casino building from the second half of the nineteenth century and an 18th century rural homestead building. The research carried out on wooden structures of the above-mentioned objects “in situ” was verified by means of simulation models, which presented their initial and current technical conditions in relation to the type and amount of impact they should safely absorb. Moreover, within the framework of this paper, artificial intelligence methods have been implemented to predict the biological corrosion of the structures studied. The aim of the paper was to draw attention to the timber already built into buildings, which may constitute waste even after several years of operation, requiring disposal and at the same time the production of a substitute. The purpose of the research carried out by the authors of the article was to examine the older and newer buildings in use, the structures of which, in whole or in part, were made of wood. On a global scale, there will be considerable demand for the energy required to thermally dispose of this waste or to deposit it in landfills with very limited capacity until its complete biological decomposition. These energy demands and greenhouse gas emissions can be prevented by effective diagnostics of such structures and the predictability of their behaviour over time, with respect to the conditions under which they are operated. The authors of the article, during each assessment of the technical condition of a building containing wooden elements, analysed the condition of their protection each time and predicted the period of their safe life without the need for additional reinforcements or replacement by others. As the later reality shows, it is a very effective method of saving money and energy.
Highlights
Wood is commonly regarded one of the least durable building materials
The selected buildings represent different types of wooden structures created in different historical periods
The cases described in the article are very interesting from a structural and conservation point of view
Summary
Wood is commonly regarded one of the least durable building materials. Very often, it does not show outward signs of biological degradation or other forms of excessive technical wear, regardless of its age, which is not an interpretation of its generally understood usefulness in terms of construction and use. The danger, which is not visible, concerns, e.g., ceiling joists that have lost their support on the walls due to corrosion of their ends In these places, these elements are practically not examined, and these are the locations of the greatest threats to them, while the extent of the damage to the wood is usually revealed at the time of a building catastrophe or replacement of these structures with new ones (identical or different). These elements are practically not examined, and these are the locations of the greatest threats to them, while the extent of the damage to the wood is usually revealed at the time of a building catastrophe or replacement of these structures with new ones (identical or different) This problem should be considered a research problem that requires an urgent and comprehensive solution, because of the saving the historical value of some buildings and structures, but first of all because of the operational safety of the buildings and structures in use. The question should be asked whether prevention is preferable to salvage, replacement, or dismantling and disposal? In the opinion of the authors of the article, it is always preferable to make a thorough and detailed examination of the structure (especially in the most vulnerable places, usually difficult to access) rather than to build in new elements, which must first be manufactured
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