San Antonio Sustainable Living – Traditional & Green Building (6 of 6)

(6 of 6)

San Antonio Sustainable Living – Traditional & Green Building (5 of 6)

(5 of 10)

San Antonio Sustainable Living – Traditional & Green Building (2 of 6)

(2 of 10)

San Antonio Solar Tour 2009

San Antonio Solar Tour 2009

San Antonio Sustainable Living – Traditional & Green Building (1 of 6)

Growing up in San Antonio, I’ve always wondered why homes never seemed to last. One look around the world and one finds many structures well over 100+ years old today that not only still stand, but they’re still inhabitable. So how come with modern technology, we see buildings & homes come and go so quickly? Our modern building practices waste energy, precious resources and is overall a poor reflection on our disposable society. This month’s topic will be on Timber Frame construction. Most are familiar with the standard residential construction using light wood framing of wood studs, joists, and trusses. Timber Frame construction is made from much larger wood posts and beams. When designed correctly, timber frame construction uses less wood than conventional light wood framing. Wood can be provided by sustainable harvesting methods that is documented by third parties to determine the amount of lumber removed from an area for production does not exceed the amount of wood that grows in that area during the same period of time. Heavy timber construction is very durable and allows for a variety of high performance materials that can be used as the “skin” of the building. There are many different types of framing that can be used in the broad category of heavy timber. We will have a representative from Texas Timber Frames (Jack Dickinson, General Manager) appear to give the presentation, and hopefully hear from Sand Creek Post & Beam (Sonja Howle, Business Development) as well …