The development of traditional wooden house using local coco wood waste as strategy for facing earthquakes

Abstract

The consideration of ecological quality is an approach for environmentally friendly house construction by utilizing waste material. This paper discusses a current study into developing local coco wood waste as an alternative construction material to build an earthquake-resistant wooden house. The aims of this research are 1) to identify the engineering properties and strength classification of local coco wood; 2) to design and analyse the structural elements for a traditional wooden house through a seismic approach; and 3) to demonstrate the construction method of a coconut timber house prototype. Research methods include 1) laboratory testing of the physical and mechanical properties comprising density test, compression test parallel to the grain, and flexural test. All tests were performed according to the American Standard Testing Material (ASTM) D143-09; 2) identification of strength classification of coco wood based on SNI 03-3527-1994; 3) design of the structural components and analyse structural performance using ETABS simulation; and 4) construction of a prototype earthquake-resistant coconut-timber house. Results from this research are expected to support the beneficial usage of local coco wood waste as a construction material for timber houses in an effort to mitigate the risk of earthquake hazard.