Timber too?

zoom

Thorsten Mrosek. (Image courtesy of The German Timber Promotion Fund).

zoom

A German Sawmill. (Image courtesy of The German Timber Promotion Fund).

zoom

KVH Timber, used for load-bearing. (Image courtesy of The German Timber Promotion Fund).

zoom

Public buildings built with Timber. (Image courtesy of The German Timber Promotion Fund).

stop

Even with the focus on flashy glass, steel and concrete buildings, timber can still play a vital role in the Middle East if sourced sustainably. James Boley talks to Thorsten Mrosek, head of international marketing for the German Timber Promotion Fund.

How can timber be used in architecutre?

It's not that well known among architects, engineers and decision makers in this field what the wide range of applications of timber products are in construction and interior design.

Those range from large-scale public and commercial buildings, to private homes, to special constructions like wide span roof construction or bridges.

In your opinion, is timber a good building material? If so, why?

In Europe and North America we have very good understanding and knowledge and experience of what you can do with all these kinds of wood products.

That includes a very good technical performance in comparison with other materials like concrete or steel. There are reliable quality controls and certification schemes.

Using it during construction has a lot of benefits. Wood is a very flexible, fast and cost efficient construction material. There's lots of opportunities for high quality and innovative construction in terms of overall design and also creative interior design.

There's a high aesthetic appeal of wood construction but specifically in the Middle East in terms of interior design.

Finally there's also great potential in terms of green building, carbon-neutral construction and sustainable building.

Why do Europe and North America have a better understanding of timber than the Middle East?

I believe that many regions in the world have extensive history and tradition of using wood, and that's also true in the Middle East. But in recent developments, there has been a move towards building materials like concrete and steel because they're seen as modern architecture.

In Europe, North America and Japan, there's been a transition. There's an important role for concrete and steel but at the same time there is recognition of the tradition and potential of using wood in architecture.

In the whole framework of sustainability, very quickly the potential has been realised what wood can offer in these kinds of aspects.

What benefits are there in using timber in the Middle East?

The Middle East is characterised by a major construction boom, with a special demand for quality, high-end, innovative construction and larger scale construction. That requires different building materials than just standard wood products.

There's a lot of import of simple wood products from Eastern Europe and Asia but there's a lot of limitations with these basic wood products.

If you get into the more high-end applications, like wide span roof construction, for malls or sports arenas or hotels, there you need speciality products which are quality-controlled, engineered to some extent.

Print | Email | Discuss this article |

READERS' COMMENTS

View all comments (0)

Have your say

Click here to post a comment

Add your Comment All posts are sent to the administrator for review and are published only after approval. ArabianBusiness.com reserves the right to remove any comment at any time for any reason. Please keep your responses appropriate and on topic.
Name *
Remember me on this computer
Email *	(Your email address will not be published)
City
Country
Subject *
Comment *
Notify me of further comments
Security Code *
Please click post only once - your comment will not be published immediately.

MORE FROM ARABIANBUSINESS.COM