Re: [UC] From the Temple University News

[Raaven O'Quinn]

This is fascinating, and the link is a great resource! Thank you for posting this. -Raaven O'Quinn 806 South 49th Street Dubin, Elisabeth wrote: I agree as well (that engineered wood products can be good), but I think I know where Ms. Haertsch is coming from. She's confusing the engineered wood issues with the new lumber vs. old lumber issue. It's true that new lumber, i.e. trees grown for construction over the past several decades, is an inferior building material than lumber harvested when our houses were built. This is because modern lumber is all "new-growth" lumber--it's raised on a farm, and fertilized and heavily watered for the purpose of creating lumber quickly. The trees grow fast, but the wood cell structure is larger so the lumber isn't as dense or durable, and tends to be more susceptible to cracking and warping. Anyway, this is all in contrast with "old-growth" lumber, which was taken from mature, "naturally" grown trees from forests. You get strong, clear, large sections from those older trees. Nowadays I don't even think they let trees grow big enough to get a 12x12 out of, since most of their sales are for smaller sections. So using old lumber or reclaimed lumber _is_ a good building material (unless the wood is rotted, which is less likely in old-growth than in new-growth, since old-growth is more resistant to rot in general). The engineered wood is a totally different topic, and even though they need to use chemicals to get the wood pieces to bond together, there are other reasons why it's environmentally sound building practice to use this stuff. Instead of going on about that, I found this to explain more for those interested: http://www.greenbuilder.com/general/articles/AAS.engmat.html ELISABETH DUBIN Hillier ARCHITECTURE One South Penn Square, Philadelphia, PA 19107-3502 | T 215 636-9999 | F 215 636-9989 | hillier.com -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]] On Behalf Of Brian Siano Sent: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 2:09 PM Cc: UnivCity University City List Subject: Re: [UC] From the Temple University News Andrew Diller wrote: Historic buildings vital to Philly's personality By Emilie Haertsch Published: Tuesday, March 15, 2005 are infinitely superior to materials used today. Workmen who were once shown the basement of my family's 19th century Gothic Victorian were amazed at the support beam, which they said would prevent an earthquake from damaging our house. These days most houses' support beams are made from wood scraps that are glued together, as opposed to the solid tree trunk beams of olden days. While this may make a heartwarming story, it's actually rubbish: those workmen may have been amazed at the tree trunks in her basement, however they were woefully misinformed regarding modern building materials. Engineered wood products are much more robust and stronger than the pine beams used in the turn of the century twins. If I had a $10 for every failed pine joist in my home, I could buy a lot of latte at the Green Line. I'd like to agree with Andy here. He's right about the abilities of engineered wood products. They are extremely strong and useful. Engineered-Wood I-beams, which are a recent development, are strong, light, and extremly reliable. They're less likely to warp and twist than a thick pine joist, easier to repair, and since they're made of reclaimed wood products, they're environmentally beneficial, too. Emelie's description of "wood scraps glued together" is just glib.Yeah, it's true, but there's a big difference from the fiberboard crap they make kiddie desks out of, and the stuff used in construction. ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see <http://www.purple.com/list.html>. -- ------- <i>"When stupidity is considered patriotism, it is unsafe to be intelligent."</i>--Isaac Asimov ---- You are receiving this because you are subscribed to the list named "UnivCity." To unsubscribe or for archive information, see .