Timber house: cross laminated research as an alternative to sustainable housing in Brazil

Abstract

As a consequence of the international discussion on the environmental impacts generated by construction there is a tendency to accelerate innovation in materials, products and construction techniques aimed at sustainability. The Brazilian construction context, which is strongly traditional and focused on the use of masonry and concrete, it seeks to expand the national debate by presenting timber as a strong solution for civil construction, as it aligns itself as a low-carbon constructive alternative contributing to the improvement of Brazilian civil construction, that today the commitment of this sector in relation to the reduction of emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) is very little and accompanied by significant generation of waste in its process. Hence, this research aims to analyze the Cross Laminated Timber (CLT) technology, a system that is in widespread diffusion in the northern hemisphere as an ally of global environmental policies for the construction sector, to identify potentialities and limitations in construction housing. The research is divided in two phases: the first one composing the theoretical bases necessary for the development of an analytical tool, rehearsing points and articulations indispensable for the debate of sustainability at an international level; the second application of this tool will serve to qualify and evaluate the potentialities and limits of CLT performance in the current Brazilian context. The conclusion of this paper is to broaden the Brazilian civil construction debate in the use of low carbon constructive technologies, which involves: low energy consumption; induction of new modalities of land use; reduction of waste generation; welfare of the occupants; reduction of CO2 emissions; and Carbon sequestration. Thereby, the architectural constructive quality of the buildings is increased, associating good design with technological performance compatible with the current requirements of sustainability.