Beyond timber and chemicals

摘要

This article takes inspiration from Mark Abbot's article in the November issue of Timbertrader News in which he makes the sobering point that unmodified timber as a construction material faces an uncertain future. DOOMSAYERS HAVE PREVIOUSLY predictedthe demise of timber as a building material, but the inevitable consequence of economic development is that we will pay (and be able to pay) more for smarter and better-performing materials that save time and labour. This goes beyond the direct costs ofinstallation (on top of the material costs), and involves product life cycle costs such as maintenance and ultimate disposal.