Irish Timber & Sustainability

Sky Device, initial on site sketch design 2007

Sky Device, final construction 2007

School of Architecture, UCD

The research interests underlying this course relate to the current imperative of establishing more sustainable building practices within Ireland and the current interest in timber construction to achieve this goal.  There are inherent contradictions in the use of wood as a sustainable building resource in Ireland as the quantity, quality and diversity of timbers available locally is limited thus leading to the importation of material, which carries significant embodied energy costs. A better scenario would be to develop a means to use the local timber more effectively in construction, as well as to consider the species currently under cultivation. There are a number of ways to use small timber sizes more effectively in construction, including the bent wood technologies or engineered timbers that can optimize the strength of timber. The course will investigate and experiment with alternative technologies to advance a collective knowledge base and establish a more sustainable practice of timber use within the architectural profession.

Module Description

The course operates on the premise that architects are responsible to operate in a sustainable manner within their profession and much of their influence resides in their understanding and use of local construction materials. This course aims therefore to look at timber resources available within the local context in specific terms from how Ireland’s tree cover has changed over the centuries, examining some of the ecological, social and economic causes and effects of these changes, to  more specific issues such as the appearance and workability of several types of timber, both hardwoods and softwoods. This material will serve as a foundation for individual research and will inform the 1:1 collective design/build investigation to be undertaken by the class.

Objectives

1. To establish a coherent body of information for reference regarding all aspects of local timber management and use within the Irish construction industry.
2. To collate and establish a reference guide on local Irish timbers and a database of investigative and/or innovative uses of timber in architecture, which could inform local practice. This material, which will be submitted by students as a research project, will form part of the end of year exhibition.
3. To establish an annual design build project which will allow for investigation of timber properties at the scale of 1:1 through innovative or investigative building projects using local timbers.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the module, students should be able to

1. Identify specific consequences of material choices and potentials within design
2. Understand meaning and value of construction materials within the framework of the sustainability mandate
3. Understand relevance of construction materials to the design process
4. Knowledge of practical and innovative construction techniques

Each subsequent year different briefs and different timbers were explored, from compression ring structures in ash [as pictured left] first drawn on Rhino, and subsequently developed in Grasshopper & Geva in Material Thinking, to the St. Mullins pedestrian bridge project. All projects and teams include both architecture and engineering students.