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Timber Engineering

Timber is a renowned traditional building material and is used for many applications in the construction industry. It possesses several attractive advantages and characteristics as a construction material as listed below:
  • A natural renewable resource with a secure supply. 
  • A recyclable material. 
  • Commercially attractive and cost competitive. 
  • Considerable aesthetic characterisitics. 
  • Excellent strength to weight ratio. 
  • Resistant to many of the chemicals destructive to steel and concrete. 
  • A natural insulator.
  • Relatively high internal damping due to its cell structure.
  • A low pollution material.
  • Considerably less energy to process timber than to produce steel and concrete. 
  • Lower global warming potential with timber construction than steel framing and concrete construction 

The timber research laboratory at NUI, Galway is the primary timber and engineered wood products testing facility in Ireland. In recent years, the Timber Engineering Research Group (TERG) have established strong links both within academia and within industry on both a national and international level. The presentation of state of the art work undertaken at the facility at international research events has become a regular occurrence.

In modern times, with increased focus being placed on creating a more sustainable society it makes economic sense to further explore alternative uses for timber in the built environment and place increased efforts on the development of novel engineered wood products and engineered systems