ABSTRACT
Wood is a fascinating building material for architecture. As wood grows as the biological tissue of trees, its production primarily consumes solar – that is natural – energy during photosynthesis, even converting carbon dioxide into oxygen during this process. The intricate structural differences in the raw material were employed for specific building elements through manual wood-working techniques. The craft-based design and construction techniques were in close relation to the available material and its specific, highly anisotropic characteristics. With the dawn of industrialization, the predominance of wood architecture became increasingly challenged by synthetic materials like iron, steel, concrete and others. Technological progress has not only made it easier to break-up the natural log into required parts, but also to reorganize its substance into new wood-based products that barely resemble the tree from which they originated. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.
