Carbon Negative Buildings for Sustainable Construction:Structural Performance of Hybrid Timber and Concrete Columns

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The production of the most common conventional building materials, concrete and steel, requires large energy inputs and results in green-house gas production that contributes to climate change. There is a growing recognition by consumers, policy makers, and industry of the urgent need for more "sustainable" and green infrastructure. Timber has been shown to have a carbon footprint about 17% to 80% lower than reinforced concrete. Thus there is tremendous potential to create more sustainable infrastructure with wider use of timber. Traditionally, timber has been used widely in Canada for residential construction. Its use in larger buildings and structures (up to 6 storeys) has been limited. These structures require stronger structural components that have previously not been available in timber. However, by combining timber with concrete, a much stronger structural component can be created. A downside of using concrete is that its manufacture results in the production of large amounts of green-house gases. This can be mitigated by using low-carbon cementitious materials rather than conventional concrete. This research will investigate, experimentally and analytically, the structural performance of building components that are a hybrid of timber and low carbon cementitious materials. The long-term objective of this research is to develop design standards for these components such that they can be incorporated into building codes, and hence be a tool for Canadian engineers to design truly sustainable structures.