Wood went out of fashion because of urban fires, resource (natural forest) depletion and long term maintenance (rot, termites..) issues.
Modern engineered timber (according to proponents) solves these problems. It's engineered from renewable crops of fast growing timber, is resistant to fire and pests... Proponents claim it is now suitable for skyscrapers but certainly for 5-15 story urban residential buildings.
Imo.. what is missing are clear advantages, a reason to bother. I don't think there's much cost advantage at this point. Weight savings.. maybe there are some applications where this is important. Generally, it's a bit of a solution searching for a problem.
Wood went out of fashion because of urban fires, resource (natural forest) depletion and long term maintenance (rot, termites..) issues.
Modern engineered timber (according to proponents) solves these problems. It's engineered from renewable crops of fast growing timber, is resistant to fire and pests... Proponents claim it is now suitable for skyscrapers but certainly for 5-15 story urban residential buildings.
Imo.. what is missing are clear advantages, a reason to bother. I don't think there's much cost advantage at this point. Weight savings.. maybe there are some applications where this is important. Generally, it's a bit of a solution searching for a problem.