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Birch
2-5 usd/kg
Birch is a clean-looking light-coloured timber, with a uniform grain, that has been used in many iconic pieces of furniture over the years. Examples include the works of Jacobsen, Eames and Aalto. It is more often used as a laminated veneer, such plywood, than solid timber. And it tends to be restricted to indoor applications, because it is perishable and vulnerable to insect attack if left outside.
While there are many different species of commercially available birch – two principal types are Betula alleghaniensis and Betula papyrifera, known as yellow and paper birch respectively, although many other names are used – they tend to be differentiated by their country or region of origin. As a result, birch is graded according to the rate of growth, and forestry practices – and the corresponding benefits and disadvantages. It is available from sustainable and well-managed forests.
Birch bark is typically associated with indigenous handicraft, such as canoes and baskets. It is antibacterial and antifungal with excellent water-shedding properties. It is used in its natural colour, which varies according to the type of tree and time of year when it was harvested. It can be harvested without causing fatal damage, if only the outer bark is removed and the inner bark – which transports water and nutrients up the tree – remains intact.
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Sustainability concerns
Non-renewable ingredients
Raw material generates polluting by-products
Low circularity potential
Glued laminated timber (glulam, also sometimes GLT) is a structural lumber produced from wood cut into uniform strips (lamella), finger jointed to make long lengths, and bonded together with high strength adhesive, which is typically melamine (MF). The thickness of the lamella is usually 45 mm. For curved or arched beams, the layers may be from 6 to 45 mm, depending on the requirements. And glulam is available in a range of dimensions, from 80 to 1,280 mm high, 80 to 280 wide, and over 40 m long.
It is used in home construction, multi-story buildings, agricultural and industrial facilities, recreation and sports centres. It is suitable for the roof structure as a visible component (all knots are sound knots and knotholes are patched), main beams with large spans, columns and floor structures. The bending strength of depends on the tensile strength of the layers (lamellae) and finger joints between the assembled lengths. Spruce is the most commonly used timber, but pine, Douglas fir and larch are also popular – all types of timber may be used.
In additional to straight beams with a constant cross section, it is possible to make tapered beams, curved beam and pre-cambered parallel beams, double tapered or pinched cambered beams, fish beams, trussed girders and free forms (curved profiles). The same as solid wood, it machines well and can be pre-cut to profiles before arriving on-site, such as to marry with rafter and purlin profiles, or for joints (rafter notch, stepped, tenon, dovetail, log house).