Timber, Sustainable & Renewable Material

This subject has the following teaching availabilities in 2015:

Please note that this subject has a pre-teaching period and during this time students will be required to read the book 'Wood in Australia' (Part 1) by Keith R Bootle, McGraw-Hill Book Company, 2010.

170 hours

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. This course requires all students to enrol in subjects where they must actively and safely contribute to field excursions and laboratory activities. Students who feel their disability will impact on meeting this requirement are encouraged to discuss this matter with the Subject Coordinator and Disability Liaison http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/ students email: disability-liaison@unimelb.edu.au

This subject introduces students to various concepts of sustainable and renewable timber products including timber engineering, design durability, manufactured wood products, biomass waste utilization and recycling, environmental considerations in timber use and more. A major focus will be placed on environmental aspects of the use of timber as a building material and the role of timber in ecologically sustainable design. Students will be introduced to concepts in:

• Environmental properties of timber and the role of forest products in climate change
• Utilisation of young plantation timber resources
• Timber engineering, including physical and mechanical properties of wood, visual and machine stress grading, fasteners and connectors
• Design durability, including wood permeability, wood preservation and termite control
• Surface coatings, gluing properties and adhesion
• Engineered wood products
• The use of timber in internal and external applications
• Principles of design, the role of industrial design, 3R design concept (design for Reduce, Reuse and Recycle)
• Biomass waste utilisation and recycling
• Forest industries and their role in developing economies.

On completion of this subject students should have a practical knowledge of:

• The concepts in sustainability
• Environmental attributes of timber and timber products
• Options in biomass utilisation and reuse of products
• Cradle to grave analysis
• Timber engineering
• Design durability
• The design of timber products
• Green star rating system in buildings
• Forest industries and their role in economic development.

Final test based on the knowledge gained on the subject on the last day of Intensive subject (30%) 1000 words,

Major assignment - 4,000 words due 8 weeks after subject ends (70%).

Course notes will be provided on LMS

• Timber Engineering Step 1. Basis of design, material properties, structural components and joints. First Edition, Centrum Hout, The Netherlands.
• Timber Engineering Step 2. Design - Details and structural system. First Edition, Centrum Hout, The Netherlands.
• Wood Handbook. Wood as an Engineering Material. US Department of Agriculture, Forest Products Laboratory. Ag. Handbook No. 72.

This subject is not available as a breadth subject.