WOODMembers:Richard De AgrelaBeatriz GameroIrina Lugo

Contents:• Introduction.• Where does it come from?• Uses in architecture.• Advantages and disadvantages.• Types of constructions.• Famous constructions.• Conclusion.

IntroductionWood is a hard, fibrous structural tissue found in the stems and roots of trees and other woody plants. It has been used for hundreds of thousands of years for both fuel and as a construction material. It is an organic material, a natural composite of cellulose fibers (which are strong in tension) embedded in a matrix of lignin which resists compression.

Where does the wood come from? Approximately 395 to 400 million years ago. Purposes: primarily as a fuel or as a construction material for making houses, tools, weapons, furniture, packaging, artworks, and paper.• Hardwood trees like oak, ash, beech teak and

maple. These trees have leaves that fall off in winter.

• Softwood trees such as pine and spruce.

Uses in Architecture The wood used in constructions is known as lumber In America.

• Structure.• Aesthetics.• Support.• Interior doors and their frames.• Exterior Cladding.• Shuttering.

Advantages and Disadvantages• Easy to acquire, transport, and work.• Stretch in tension and compression.

Is susceptibility to fire, mold, and termites. Contains moisture and is not uniformly strong.

Types of Constructions• Log Construction.

• Skeletal System.

Famous Constructions• Old Churches (log Construction)• Japanese Houses (Floor and covering)• Buddhist temples (frames)

Conclusion Wood has been used in several constructions, either in structure or in ornaments, for a while. Its history can be traced consistently in China, Korea, and Japan and in the domestic architecture of northern Europe and North America, in what can be called a wood culture.

Here in Venezuela we don’t have a “wood culture”, we use wood only for decorations , doors, shuttering and little construction as huts.

References• http://

www.crockhamhill.kent.sch.uk/teachers/science/materials/wood/wood_source.htm

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood#Knots• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wood#Knots